Students, alumni and employers connect at College of Engineering's 2012 career fair

DETROIT (Oct. 18, 2012) - More than 400 Wayne State University College of Engineering students and alumni met with representatives from nearly 80 companies at the college's 2012 career fair today.

Employers - including Chrysler Group, DTE Energy, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Marathon Petroleum and the Michigan Department of Transportation - attended the career fair to meet the current crop of engineering and computer science students and alumni at WSU, and recruit them for internships, co-ops and employment opportunities.

"We are firmly committed to our strong ties with our industrial partners, and we are thrilled at the huge turnout of companies interested in hiring our students and alumni," said Darin Ellis, associate dean of academic affairs and student services in the College of Engineering. "It shows that industry values a Wayne State engineering education. They know that WSU grads have the skills and strong ties to our geographic area that combine for a significant positive economic impact on the region."

Representatives from multiple companies confirmed that they come to the career fair at Wayne State because of the quality of students. Patrick Taggart, a chief engineer at Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, said it was the company's first year at Wayne State but they were already impressed with what the students and alumni had to offer.

Urban Science representative Jeff Woodbury echoed this sentiment. "Our founder and CEO, Jim Anderson, is a College of Engineering alumnus, so we know the quality of students here and always make sure to recruit a few times a year," said Woodbury, who is himself an alumnus, having graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree electrical and computer engineering.

Woodbury's co-recruiter, Sid Babbar, is an industrial and systems engineering graduate student at Wayne State and obtained his position at Urban Science as a result of a past career fair. "My education helped prepare me for working in the real world and it continues to have a positive impact on my work," said Babbar.

Other students at the career fair also said they felt confident in their academic and professional abilities thanks to their Wayne State education.

Shanelle Carter, a chemical engineering junior, came to the career fair hoping to land her first internship. "I'm not looking for any company in particular, but I feel my education has prepared me for a professional role," said Carter. "I am comfortable working with and leading a team, and know that I'll be able to apply my academic knowledge in the workplace."

To prepare for the career fair, some students attended an Oct. 15 workshop led by WSU Career Services. More than 60 students turned out to learn more about how to research companies, prepare a resume, dress appropriately and draft questions to ask employers.

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.