We’re wrapping up our month-long celebration of SciTech’s 10th anniversary with an awesome conversation with SciTech Super Star, Kent Patterson. Kent first partnered with the SciTech Program in 2019 and continues to return year after year, giving students new opportunities in the world of robotic automation and strengthening his company’s incoming workforce.
Developing Talent
Kent is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of KAMP Automation, an engineering and robotics firm based in Waseca, Minnesota. We stated our interview by learning more about Kent, KAMP and the the type of positions he’s typically looking to fill.
Exposure and Experience
With workforce shortages higher than ever, we spoke with Kent to see how general hiring has been affected within the engineering industry in Southern Minnesota. Due to his company’s long-term investment in the next generation, and how he utilizes the SciTech program, KAMP continues to find incoming talent, even now.
The Program in Action
For employers who use SciTech, there are two major benefits: with the program they can connect with some of the top STEM talent in the state. They can then hire those talented individuals at a fraction of the cost. Funded by the State of Minnesota, SciTech reimburses its employers for half of what they pay their interns (up to $2,500 per student) making it easier for small companies to compete with larger corporations, either offering higher pay or hiring more help than they normally could.
What makes KAMP a star employer is how well they use SciTech to it’s full potential, providing more paid opportunities to students, exposing them to an advanced and innovative field, and rewarding hard work with with fulltime employment after graduation.
The Chance to Excel
With his company’s track record of transitioning interns into fulltime employees, we had to know: what’s the secret to a successful internship? In this final clip, Kent shares an inspiring example of how far an intern can go when given the chance to succeed.
Get Involved!
We want to thank Kent and all the program partners and SciTech Alumni who spoke with us and shared their stories this month! In the 10 years since SciTech began, our program has helped over 2,250 interns connect with 555 companies in 142 cities state wide. Those numbers can continue to grow with your help. The more people that are aware of the SciTech program, the more people can tap into this free resource and benefit from it themselves.
Check out our Champions page and help us spread the word! Because you never know, your share could be the catalyst to the next life-changing internship.