Facebook connects Arkansas employers and college students seeking fellowships

On Saturday, March 16, Facebook launched its inaugural Business Partner’s Summit at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub in North Little Rock. The event marked the kick-off of Career Connections, an initiative designed to connect emerging talent to training opportunities, local internships, and a network of professional mentors. The program aims to bridge the gap between qualified college students seeking summer fellowships and companies with opportunities for those students.

The twenty-three participating businesses partnered with Facebook to develop the foundation of the program that will provide training to local college students interested in marketing and social media. Attendees strategized and outlined the onboarding processes, project management, and professional development the fellows will receive while in the program.

Stephanie Goodwin, People & Culture Manager at ACDI said, "The Facebook Career Connection Launch is an awesome event. It was not only enjoyable but boosted our ideal of leadership and our internship programs. The event was collaborative, exciting, and informational. We are excited to be a part of this program and are dedicated to providing our fellows with the best internship experience possible."

Nearly four hundred students applied to participate in Career Connections. From the pool of applicants, each business will select and develop a qualified student who has been vetted and trained by Facebook with the goal of developing both the hard and soft skills needed for the position. Each student will be matched with a Facebook employee mentor while participating in the twelve-week paid fellowship.

Each company will receive $1,000 in Facebook and Instagram ad credits, access to exclusive programming, and assistance from Facebook staff during the program.