OEN Member NewsEmerging Leaders Initiative looks to bolster its participant count in 2019 (Portland Business Journal)

A program that looks to place students of color into top Portland-area companies is again looking to enlist participants.

The Emerging Leaders Internship Program, which grew from a 2015 call — by eROI founder and CEO Ryan Buchanan and Portland Leadership Foundation CEO Ben Sand — to create a more diverse local business community. Last year, placed 80 interns last year, from 876 applications. This year, the program hopes to place 200 students.

It has so far placed about that many students into internship roles, from 1,700-plus applications, all told over its three years.

Business for a Better Portland issued a call to action Friday to help ELI with its 2019 effort. Business for a Better Portland hopes 15 of its members can add student-interns to their ranks.

The idea is to place “underrepresented college students and recent graduates with local industry leaders through paid internship opportunities.”

Companies interested in hosting an ELI intern should fill out this form by Jan. 15.

Source: www.bizjournals.com