Making the graduate-industry connection

Many utilities are beginning to ramp up their recruiting and hiring efforts to attract bright young engineering graduates into the industry to replace the large numbers of engineers that have recently retired or will retire in the next few years. Unfortunately, the long drought in hiring brought on by the uncertainty of deregulation and the perspective that the industry is "old and conservative" has caused a mismatch in the interests of young engineers and the companies that want to hire them. In addition, the number of young people pursuing engineering degrees is decreasing as they become attracted to other lucrative occupations that aren't burdened by the introverted, nerdy stereotypes typical of engineering careers. One way to address this problem is for companies to establish a supportive relationship with a university through formal and informal recruiting activities. While there are a number of strategies that companies can adopt to identify and recruit good students, three primary recruiting strategies have proven effective: on-campus recruiting, co-op and internship programs, and career fairs. Campus partnerships yield considerable benefits for both the industry and the university, and the benefits far outweight the time and financial commitments required.