MISSOULA – Along with other collegiate experiences canceled because of COVID-19, so too have gone many summer internships and the valuable career experiences they provide. As an alternative, the University of Montana’s Experiential Learning and Career Success office now offers an innovative micro-internship program through Parker Dewey, a freelance platform for college students and recent graduates.
The platform connects students with micro-internship opportunities, mostly virtual, in highly specific, project-based positions — lead generation, content creation, copy writing, app design, social marketing, data entry — from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
“Students’ academic and career plans have been impacted by COVID-19 because many internships were canceled,” said UM career coach Dr. Cheryl Minnick. “Micro-internships provide students the opportunity to work remotely on short-term, professional assignments and fill their résumé gap with meaningful, skill-enhancing and career-building employment.”
Parker Dewey’s micro-internship program connects students without charge to a diverse network of companies and organizations to complete paid short-term professional assignments. As a complement to existing campus recruiting and semester-long internships, micro-internships provide opportunities for highly motivated college students to demonstrate their talent and skills, develop relationships and explore career paths while providing value to businesses.
Andrea Vernon, interim director of UM’s Experiential Learning and Career Success, said the program can provide local businesses with immediate project support and even help them identify future job candidates. She invites UM alumni, local nonprofits, businesses and industry partners to create and post micro-internships on the Parker-Dewey platform at http://info.parkerdewey.com/umt.
“We’re in this together,” Vernon said. “We need Griz Nation to come together to help students, especially the Class of 2020, by providing micro-internships and the career-enhancing, skill-building experiential learning opportunities they provide.”
For more information about UM’s partnership with Parker Dewey, call Experiential Learning and Career success at 406-243-2022, or email elcs@umontana.edu. More information also is available at https://www.umt.edu/experiential-learning-career-success/.