In the battle to hire talent, small startups must be able to compete with larger companies that have access to more resources.
Zac Strobl, director of the Northern Kentucky University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship housed under the Haile College of Business, said this could strain startups looking to find their footing.
“There’s a lot of companies that are looking to recruit our students because they need to fill jobs,” said Strobl. “For a startup company, if they have to compete with the resources of a large company, it puts more of a strain on them.”
Now, NKU students interested in working for startups will have a new internship opportunity through the Covington Works program, a collaborative workforce development initiative created by the City of Covington and Northern Kentucky Area Development District, or NKADD.
In December 2022, the Covington Board of Commissioners approved a $150,000 grant request from NKADD to create the program. Covington Works offers participants opportunities for on-the-job training, reliable transportation and scholarships.
Funds for the new internship program will be reallocated from another Covington Works initiative, said Todd Kyper, business services coordinator at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District.
Kyper hopes the program will be able to place “at least seven” interns at Covington-based startups this summer.
“We believe that this initiative inside of the Covington Works program is a perfect way to support those businesses that are in the startup phase, while also providing meaningful experiences for individuals looking for high-quality job opportunities, and who may even dream of being entrepreneurs themselves,” Kyper said.
Strobl told LINK nky that his organization would be in charge of helping recruit students, as well as aiding startups with creating job descriptions. Blue North, Northern Kentucky’s primary entrepreneurial resource organization, is also slated to be involved in this process, he said.
“It should be great for them in helping them identify talent in filling some of the roles that they have,” Strobl said. “Then for the students, they’re gaining vital experience.”
The internship program does not have a confirmed name or exact compensation as of yet, Strobl said, but he expects those details to be finalized soon.
He and Kyper anticipate a concerted advertising push for the program during the springtime, with the internships officially kicking off in the summer.
“The City of Covington is very supportive of startup companies and the organizations that help startup companies,” Strobl said.
