InternOKC helps develop strong talent pipeline

Kacie Cardenas has always been good at numbers. It’s a big reason she landed her current position as director of operations and finance at Box Real Estate & Investments. But the lessons she learned at InternOKC were also part of the equation. Cardenas attended the Chamber’s annual event in 2016, the same year she graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in finance.

Cardenas said the relationships she built at InternOKC helped lead her to her current employer.

“InternOKC gave me the extra boost of confidence necessary to transition from a student to working professional. It helped me build important skills and connections that have been invaluable to my career growth. I am grateful for the opportunity to have had such a meaningful experience in learning and appreciating why Oklahoma City is the best place to live, work, and play,” Cardenas said.    

InternOKC is designed to provide soft skills enhancement and professional development for interns working in Oklahoma City this summer. If you are a business with dozens of summer interns or just one, being a part of InternOKC is also an investment in your future workforce and the future of Oklahoma City.

The event, which provides attendees the opportunity to network with fellow interns, is scheduled for June 27. Attendees will also learn valuable tools to help them make the transition from college graduate to young professional.

Lee Copeland, director of talent and business growth at the Chamber, said local employers have provided constant feedback to the Chamber about the challenges they face in the workplace and the need for young professionals to develop soft skills. InternOKC’s training is based on three components or pillars, he said, to help achieve that goal.

• Reinforcing professional behaviors or specific habits and practices that foster positive outcomes.
• Navigating networks and creating relationships.
• Developing a mindset that enables young adults to continue learning and growing as professionals.

Copeland said a strong talent pipeline is critical to the success of local businesses and the state’s future growth. That’s why it’s important that today’s college students stay in Oklahoma after graduation. The percentage of college graduates doing just that has improved over the last couple of decades. In fact, according to data provided by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 89.7% of Oklahoma residents are still employed in Oklahoma one year after graduation; 86.7% remain employed in the state after five years.

“A majority of our citizens have chosen to be here because of the quality of life, cost of living and availability of jobs, and so we want to continue impressing upon our interns that Oklahoma City is a great place to grow your career,” Copeland said.

According to Copeland, every industry can benefit from creating opportunities to raise young talent. He believes there is no better way than through a summer internship.

“Some of our employers need to continue to find pathways into new talent coming out of our colleges and universities, expose them to their industry and show them pathways where they can grow, and develop in a career that maybe they didn’t expect,” he said.

Employers interested in enrolling their interns for this summer’s InternOKC program can do so by visiting abetterlifeokc.com/summerintern. The registration fee per intern is $150 for Chamber members and $250 for nonmembers.

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.

This article originally appeared in the May 2023 edition of the VeloCity newsletter.