As the home to 14 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – the most in the country – the state of Alabama is creating an opportunity for HBCU students to gain experiential work experience with public and private industries.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the creation of the Alabama HBCU Co-Op Pilot Program at an event hosted by the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs (GOMA) and the White House Initiative on HBCUs this week. The pilot year of the co-op program will initially recruit students studying in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or technical STEM areas.
Several HBCUs in the state say they already plan to participate in the program once applications become available in early 2019.
“We applaud the governor for this initiative and are definitely interested in participating and having our students seize those opportunities,” said Yvette Clayton, director of career development services at Alabama A&M University (AAMU). “It’s critical for our students, especially those in the STEM space, to get workplace experience before they graduate.”
Established under GOMA’s Alabama HBCU Initiative, the HBCU Co-Op Program is a three-way partnership between the HBCUs, GOMA and state employers. The program will address underrepresentation of minorities in STEM careers, in addition to addressing the skills and needs gap of employers in public and private sectors, said Nichelle Williams Nix, director of the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs.
“Eventually after the pilot year has ended, the idea is to expand the areas of study,” Nix said, adding that the overall vision is to place minority students in key leadership roles in various sectors. “It’s a very intentional program.”
Selected students will be required to complete three work semesters to ensure professional competency. They will receive an hour salary and complete a final project at the culmination of their co-op program.
