First of its kind, Ohio Procurement Internship Program kicks off at YSU

In celebration of National PTAC Day, the Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Youngstown State University announced a new pilot program, in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Development, aimed at connecting local companies with students.

The Procurement Internship Program will train students and allow them to apply that training during internships with local companies engaged in government contracting.

“This pilot program is an opportunity for students to explore the field of government contracting and for PTAC clients to leverage the students’ knowledge and skills to further their own government sales efforts,” said Joseph Scott, program instructor.

As a partnership between student and company, the PTAC is looking for interested candidates from both parties. The program will benefit small- to midsize businesses in the Mahoning Valley area by matching them with a government procurement-trained intern.

The Williamson College of Business Administration will be offering a 3-credit hour course in Spring 2023, in which students will gain knowledge and network with government procurement professionals. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be matched with local companies for a summer internship and will apply the knowledge gained from the classroom experience. The summer internship will be full-time, last 12 weeks, and will pay $17 an hour. These standards allow the internship to qualify for 3 additional credits for students.

Companies that host an intern during the summer will have up to $5,000 of the intern’s wages reimbursed.

This initiative is designed to address workforce challenges that private sector companies experience when marketing to customers and responding to contract opportunities in the government marketplace.

Interested businesses and students should contact Rich Delisio at radelisio@ysu.edu or 330.941.1886.