Currently, there are 21 students involved in a cohort at Grand Valley State University as part of their GV Laker Accelerated Talent Link program. Five inaugural employers helped kick off the program earlier this year. The goal: a collaborative, accelerated work and learning program which includes learning, scholarships, certification, and possible employment upon graduation.
“We have cohort meetings and have different employers come in and they talk about different things we’re going to use in a work setting. So, whether its getting good feedback, receiving feedback, we just went over public speaking, which was super interesting.”
Mary Jo Buechler is a senior who starts her internship January 2nd. She says she started obtaining her certificate in her junior year when she found out about this program. Now, she gets to use all that she’s learned in real time.
“I’m going to be starting at Michigan software labs as an associate delivery lead and with that, I’m excited to get some real-world experience. And use critical skills we learned within our cohort meetings.”
Officials we spoke with say there are now plans to expand. With just over 20 students this year, the goal next year is 100 students with even more employers.
Students can find more information at gvsu.edu\latl
