FEATURE: Interns: Strength in Diversity

Today, with more and more small companies owned by women and minorities, many entrepreneurs are seeking to add diversity to their workforce by bringing in minority interns. That’s not always easy, however, as competition for talented African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans can be fierce.

As a small business owner you may find yourself going head-to-head with large corporations and local, state and federal government agencies in attracting these candidates. Still, the benefits of bringing in talented minorities can make the competition worthwhile. Here are some widely used resources to help with your search:

INROADS
(314-241-7488, www.inroads.org). This Missouri-based organization reaches out to the best and brightest high school and undergraduate college students of color in the United States. At the college level these recruits major in business, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, technology, sales and other disciplines. INROADS provides academic support and career training to more than 5,500 interns sponsored by more than 700 companies. The benefits to business include early access to and cultivation of talented people of color who have leadership potential.

Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center
(800-678-6882, www.nttc.edu). Located at Wheeling Jesuit University, this center offers a program called Emerging Minority Business Leaders (EMBL), which aims to develop and empower minority students to become the next generation of entrepreneurs and technology leaders. Through a partnership with the Minority Business Development Agency (888-324-1551, www.mbda.gov), EMBL gives minority students a competitive edge through educational programs, career services and business development resources. Aside from gaining access to high-caliber, well-trained talent, business sponsors are given national recognition in EMBL publications, a link on the center’s Web site and a seat on the EMBL Working Group Committee.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
(202-467-0893, www.hacu.net). As the largest Hispanic internship program in the nation, the HACU represents more than 350 colleges and universities in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America and Spain in a common goal: to increase and improve higher education for the Hispanic community. The group has provided businesses with more than 4,400 talented Hispanic interns over the last ten years. The organization also offers career fairs, resume workshops, networking sessions and other business development opportunities.

--Laton McCartney