Linking employers and academic needs

Though the project concluded in 2017, the LEAN internships are sustained through industry partnerships, the ESCC Foundation, and funding from The National Science Foundation project Creating Technical Scholars: A Model for Structured Pathways (award # 1700550).

Information about applying lean manufacturing practices to the internship process has been disseminated at state, regional and national conferences.  The NSF LEAN Internship Model Guidebook [PDF] contains information and sample forms used in the process.

Contacts

To financially support LEAN internships, contact:

Eve Belote
ESCC Foundation Executive Director
757.789.1767
ebelote@es.vccs.edu

To learn more about applying lean manufacturing principles to your internship program or to adopt the LEAN internship model contact:

Students seeking internships and companies interested in hosting interns should contact:

Debbie Daniels
Internship Coordinator
757.789.1792 
ddaniels@es.vccs.edu

Project Background

Beginning July 1, 2013, the four-year project developed internship pathways to prepare students for entry-level science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers and complete certificates or Associate degrees in STEM-related fields.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant of $198,248 to Eastern Shore Community College for support of the college’s “Linking Employers and Academic Needs” (LEAN) Internship Project (NSF Award Number 1304821). 

The LEAN Internship Project grew out of ESCC’s STEM internship program, which was initially funded by the ESCC Foundation and a MentorLinks grant awarded by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). AACC’s MentorLinks program is also supported by NSF funding.

The LEAN Internship Project, NSF Award Number 1304821, was directed by Teresa E. Guy, Principal Investigator, and John H. Floyd, Co-Principal Investigator. The NSF ATE program supports the development of technicians in emerging fields and recognizes the need to inspire, motivate and empower students to develop and achieve career goals. The program funds projects that focus on developing partnerships between community colleges, other higher education institutions, and employers to provide workforce development and education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels.