Finding a career, building a future

Greater Lafayette Summer Internship Experience helps with both

BY BRAD OPPENHEIM

As Greater Lafayette continues to grow and flourish, attracting and retaining top-tier talent to fill jobs is a priority, and while there’s no shortage of opportunity—there is a shortage of workers.

To help bridge the gap, Greater Lafayette Commerce (GLC) is partnering with the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) to launch the inaugural Greater Lafayette Summer Internship Experience. The program is designed to give college-aged students — who have secured internships across various sectors — a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the many amenities the Greater Lafayette community has to offer.

“Regions like Greater Lafayette are perfectly poised to seize this opportunity—but it will take more than high-wage jobs. The real draw lies in something deeper: a sense of belonging. That’s the idea behind the Greater Lafayette Summer Internship Experience,” says Chelsie Freeman, vice president of marketing and communications at Greater Lafayette Commerce.

The program, which is on track to officially launch in May, is slated to take interns beyond the traditional workplace setting, offering them a firsthand experience of what life could look like if they choose to accept a job and live in the area following graduation.

“We see this program as an invitation to helps with both experience everything that makes Greater Lafayette more than just a place on the map,” says Freeman. “By connecting interns with the people, places and opportunities that shape our community, we hope they’ll see what we already know—this isn’t just a great place to start a career. It’s a place to build a life.”

Freeman says this inaugural program serves as an impactful way to strengthen Greater Lafayette’s talent pipeline and drive long-term growth, presenting employers a prime opportunity to showcase the local quality of life and why it makes sense to put down roots in Greater Lafayette.

As for the program itself, activities will include exploring local amenities and attractions, building workplace skills through interactive exercises, participating in service/ volunteering activities, and building fellowship among other interns in the area.

“GLC has reached out to employers, Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette, Greater Lafayette Young Professionals, educational institutions and local philanthropy, who are all on board with this opportunity in order to highlight all the community has to offer to this demographic,” says Karen Momper, director of strategic initiatives at the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. The IDDC is tasked with promoting, branding and telling Indiana’s story in an effort to attract and retain businesses, talent, students and visitors.

For its inaugural year, IDDC has granted money to pay for the program, but the hope is that it will prove to be successful, attracting local investment to sustain it.

As these young professionals prepare to transition from school to the working class, many might be wondering, “Why Indiana?” Momper says, “This program gives them experiences that will help inform their decisions as they discern where they want to live, start a family and build their careers.”

“Greater Lafayette is one of those places that just gets it right,” Freeman says. “A Big Ten town with small-town bones, Purdue University brings a level of excitement you don’t often find in a city this accessible. It’s big enough to have momentum—new businesses, major investments and a ton of opportunities—but it still has the feel of a community where people know and support each other.”

Currently, employer interest projects that more than 300 interns may be in the area, and this program hopes to attract about a third of those interns to participate in the program.

“By planning programming for interns across multiple sectors, we hope to attract them with complimentary food/beverage, while introducing them to fun local spots they might not have experienced otherwise while also providing an opportunity to connect with other young talent,” she says.

While this program may be a first for Greater Lafayette, it’s not the first of its kind.

IDDC has inaugurated two programming experiences for summer interns in communities over the past two summers. Past programs have included destination expe- riences, complimentary refreshments, and opportunities for fellowship for interns from multiple companies in various fields.

“It helps them (students) see what life might look like, what their future friend and professional network could be,” Momper says. “We also believe a connection to leadership in the area, along with an exposure to local philanthropy, also contributes to the question of ‘What would life look like here?’

Furthermore, this demographic, unlike those before them, are more interested in work/ life balance, making where they live a more important part of the question of what they will do.”

As the program gains momentum ahead of its launch, GLC has established an advisory committee of more than 20 community members, representing local employers, educational institutions, government and tourism organizations to help shape, refine, and guide the program, ensuring it’s set up for success.

Freeman says this experience will undoubtedly offer these students a true taste of life in Greater Lafayette.

“It’s not just about growth for the sake of growth — it’s about making this a place where people want to be — whether they’re starting a business, building a career or just looking for a great community to call home,” she says. “And when you feel the itch to explore more? Indy and Chicago are just up the road, and our own airport makes travel a breeze. But the thing is, once you’re here, and you have the opportunity to see what makes us special, you get it.”

When it comes to measuring the success of the new program, IDDC will provide a surveying rubric to evaluate key markers, including changes in perceptions, and overall satisfaction with the experiences. GLC also will evaluate the rubric and will look at the engagement with employer partners and offer/hires to measure success.

Momper notes that other communities have continued the programming after the inaugural year, and some have chosen to expand the scope to include leadership and other professional development programs for young talent in their area.

The end goal: sustainability. “Talent attraction is a priority for our community, and we hope to only build upon this program and others in the months and years to come to help attract and retain talent and new residents to Greater Lafayette,” Freeman says.

“One day, we’d like to see them (students) return, not as participants, but as mentors, helping to guide the next generation of talent,” Freeman continues.

Freeman encourages anyone interested in getting involved and supporting the program to get in touch with Greater Lafayette Commerce.

“Our vision is for this program to become a staple of summer internship experiences in Greater Lafayette, growing in impact year after year,” she says. “We want interns to walk away with a positive experience of Greater Lafayette through exposure to networking and fellowship, workplace skills development and fostering civic pride and belonging through community-based volunteering activities.”

In addition to the Greater Lafayette Summer Internship Experience, GLC is hard at work tackling the talent challenge head-on with dynamic programs designed to attract, develop and retain top talent—starting long before students enter the workforce.

“Through the Career+ Ecosystem, K-12 students gain early exposure to real-world, in-demand skills that directly connect to future career opportunities,” Freeman says. “Programs like Robotics in Manufacturing and Manufacturing Week spark curiosity and provide hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”

She says the message is clear: Greater Lafayette isn’t just a place to study—it’s a place to build a future.

“Greater Lafayette Summer Internship Experience offers a deeper connection to the community.” ★

To learn more visit: greaterlafayetteind.com/summer-intern-experience

► Employers that want to learn more about the program can contact: Chelsie Freeman, cfreeman@greaterlafayettecommerce.com

► See all there is to experience in our community, visit: homeofpurdue.com and visitindiana.com