Blue Oval Intern Corp program to end after five successful years

The Ford Blue Oval Intern Corp program, a unique collaboration between Ford Motor Company and Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, is concluding this year after five years and 50 completed internships.

The program gives business students the opportunity to intern with a nonprofit organization for one semester. Upon completion of the internships, students are awarded a scholarship of $2,000 from Ford.

“Wayne State and Ford had a conversation about what we wanted to do with funding,” said Farah Harb, the coordinator for the Ford Fund Education Program. “Ford wanted to use the funds to engage students in the community and align their expertise with specific work-related projects created by local non-profit organizations to meet their needs.”

The BOIC program began in January 2011 and was intended to give 50 students an internship opportunity/scholarship, according to BOIC Internship Coordinator Kerri Seach.

“The goal was to have these 50 internships completed within five years,” said Seach. “Some semesters were slower than others, which is why the program was slightly extended. The program is ending merely because the last of the scholarship funds are being disbursed.”

“All around, it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Harb, who helped establish the program while employed at the Wayne State business school before moving on to her current role at Ford. “Students gain work experience in their field, have the option to do the internship for credit and receive a scholarship.”

Harb also said that upon completion of the internship, students can opt-in to become part of the Ford Blue Oval Network, which connects them to professional Ford recruiters.

“There are so many benefits to students doing this one internship,” she said.

Some of the nonprofits that BOIC interns have worked with are Southwest Solutions, a local organization dedicated to providing psychiatric counseling and medication for the mentally ill; Starfish Family Services, an organization dedicated  to providing resources for early childhood development; and Forgotten Harvest, which consists of agencies dedicated to relieving hunger in Metro Detroit.

Seach said that several students were offered positions with the organization after their internship had ended. She also said that 99.9 percent of students liked working for nonprofits.

“My internship at Southwest Solutions was one of the best learning experiences I’ve had in the WSU M.B.A. program,” said Frank Kong in his student reflection summary. “I learned about many aspects of nonprofits and, specifically, the finance department within those organizations. I am confident that the experience I gained will provide a solid basis for future employment.”

Internship supervisors were also pleased with the way interns performed.

“Sarah was professional, had a great attitude and was very reliable,” said a representative from Forgotten Harvest. “There were a couple of occasions that she volunteered to help past her scheduled work time. She was a true asset to our organization.”

According to Seach, the program was incredibly successful.

“Each student intern that I worked with who went through this program walked away feeling proud, accomplished and thankful for the opportunity,” she said.

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