More than 100 people attended the Lehigh Valley Internship Summit in 2019, which was the last time it was held in person.

Several expert speakers are confirmed for the fourth annual Lehigh Valley Internship Summit to be held later this month, and additional speakers are expected to be announced shortly.

The fourth annual event will be held in-person on July 28 at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem Township. It will be free to attend, but pre-registration is required. Visit here to register.

Speakers so far include Scott J. Blair, Senior Director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for B. Braun Medical, Inc.; Lidia Nesci, Human Resources Generalist at Victaulic; and Jennifer Nicolosi, Assistant Director of AmeriCorps Programs with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

Career Development professionals from the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities will also facilitate speed table discussions on topics of interest including engaging with students, connecting with schools, and supervising interns, among others.

The Lehigh Valley Internship Summit is organized by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) in partnership with regional colleges and universities.

“Connecting with the best and brightest talent with the right skills is of primary importance to Lehigh Valley employers,” said Karianne Gelinas, LVEDC Vice President of Regional Partnerships and Talent Strategies. “Hosting internships with students from our region’s educational institutions can effectively build these connections between businesses and their future employees.”

B. Braun and Crayola will be gold sponsors for the event.

Penn State Lehigh Valley is a silver sponsor for the Lehigh Valley Internship Summit.

Other Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact LVEDC Program Administrator Stephanie Wean for more information at swean@lehighvalley.org.

Scott Blair will discuss diversity equity and inclusion through internship programs, Nicolosi will highlight best practices in internships for small employers and nonprofits, and Nesci will discuss internship best practices for large employers.

Hosting the Lehigh Valley Internship Summit is consistent with LVEDC’s newly-passed three-year strategic plan, which includes an initiative specifically focused on “Talent Strategies Development.”

The initiative calls for LVEDC to continue its partnership between the education, training, and workforce community and employers of all sectors and sizes to understand the region’s skills gaps and workforce needs and to help match supply and demand and develop strategies to fortify our talent pipeline.

“We hear from employers daily that attracting, hiring, and retaining talent with the right skills and experiences is key to their success,” Gelinas said. “Offering high-quality internship programs is a crucial element in helping employers find and develop the future of their workforce.”

The doors will open at 8 a.m. on July 28 and the event will begin with a short breakfast, followed by sessions with speakers, before concluding with speed tables that are each staffed by a career development professional handling a different topic related to internships.

The event had been held virtually each of the past two years. Last year’s broadcast can be viewed on LVEDC’s YouTube channel, and can also be watched below:

Also during the event, LVEDC will release its newly-revised editions of the Lehigh Valley Career Development & Internship Directory, and the Lehigh Valley Internship Toolkit for regional employers. Current versions are available to download for free on the LVEDC website.

The Internship Toolkit offers guidance and best practices in creating and expanding internships at your company. It highlights characteristics of successful internship programs, the benefits of paid vs. unpaid internships, how to market an internship program, and different types of programs such as virtual internships and micro-internships.

The Lehigh Valley Career Development & Internship Directory provides career development information at each of the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities, as well as the region’s technical and vocational schools. It includes websites where internship jobs are posted, the majors and fields of study for which the schools offer internships, and more.