BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Every future engineer has to start somewhere, and for many, that journey begins right here on CSUB’s campus. However, getting from the classroom to the workforce can sometimes take more than a degree. Which is why, a new partnership is underway to help bridge that gap.
“Finding opportunities is so competitive, its so difficult and so having a program like this that is local, that teaches you about energy companies around us that directly affect our community is just so important and so special,” said student Rachelle Barreyro.
For Barreyro, who hopes to become a research scientist, real-world experience could be a critical step toward launching her career.
Now, a new partnership between Kern County and CSUB is bringing in $500,000 to open the door to more of those opportunities.
“The county, through the employer training resource, is allocating precious to create 50 unique internships through local workplaces,” said CSUB president Vernon Harper.
Local business Cornerstone Engineering is one of those places. Partner Eric Dhanens says in the past six months to a year, they’ve hired 10-20 people and have seen some turnover. Believing that the road to success starts before graduation.
“We want to support the training we want to support the development, we want to support the infrastructure,” said Dhanens. “So the infrastructure we think about is the power lines and the sewer lines and it’s also the workforce, it’s also the pipeline, the training, and education.”
These internships won't just offer experience. Students will get paid.
Martin Acevedo Diaz says that could be a powerful incentive, giving more students the chance to gain experience while also supporting themselves.
“I think this is perfect because 50 is a good amount of internships opening and they’re all paid and so its not like yore doing it for nothing or just the experience like you’re getting paid so you can sustain yourself while doing this,” said Diaz.
CSUB’S investment in STEM doesn’t stop with internships. The university is also nearing completion of its Energy Innovation Building, which is expected to serve as a hub for energy science on the West coast.
The goal is to have these internship opportunities up and running by this summer, giving students a chance to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and put it to work.
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