Did you know that the UW-Madison Work-Study Program, previously reserved for on-campus and non-profit organizations, has been expanded to small businesses – and, as of September 2023, even covers 50% of the wages earned? Or that many UW-Madison students pursue internship opportunities as a way to develop new skills and explore career pathways while they are studying at UW?

By providing internship and work-study opportunities for UW-Madison students, businesses can:

Increase staff diversity
Focus on back-burner projects
Engage with talented, enthusiastic students
Give back to the community through mentorship
Hire affordable staff who can make a true contribution to the organization
Provide management experience for current staff and career development opportunities for students
Gain access to skillsets not currently on your staff
Contribute to community/university relationships
Develop a potential recruitment pipeline (with lower cost/risk)
Have new perspectives and enthusiasm
If you’ve ever wondered about hiring a UW-Madison student, this session is for you! We’ll discuss the differences between the Work-Study Program and student internship opportunities and help you understand more about how to make the experience a successful one for both you and the student.

Throughout the session we’ll cover:

How the Work-Study and internship programs work, and how businesses can participate
How to create an engaging internship opportunity that offers interesting, meaningful work
The mechanics of how to post jobs, interview, and hire
An overview of who our students are and what they are interested in
How to establish appropriate tasks for students and set everyone up for success
Details of who is eligible to offer internships and work-study opportunities, what qualifies as an internship
Who is eligible to hire UW-Madison students?

Work-study: Non-profits and small businesses can apply for the work-study program to hire UW-Madison work study students. Currently, work study students can work anywhere in the state of Wisconsin.
Internships: Non-profits, start-ups and small businesses from all industries and sectors are strongly encouraged to consider hiring interns