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Information for Industry Partners

Leading holistic workforce development and integration through industry-academic collaborations

Accelerate to Industry (A2i) is a professional program offered by the Penn State Graduate School that represents the interests of more than 14,000 diverse graduate students and postdoctoral associates from across all academic disciplines. 

The A2i approach offers companies the opportunity to collaborate with Penn State to shape the future of holistic and integrated workforce readiness at your company. Through A2i, you can recruit and directly impact the training of graduate and postdoctoral researchers. Our industry partners help us prepare trainees in the following areas: 

  • Leadership, teamwork, and communication
  • Intellectual property and regulatory affairs
  • Market and technology evaluation
  • Project management
  • Commercialization
  • Finance

A2i Modules

A2i Modules

  • Immersion Week is a comprehensive training opportunity that allows companies to engage students with leadership talks and an interdisciplinary team project. This highly interactive and engaging experience provides opportunities to talk directly with students to not only help shape their career development, but also to gauge their interest in working with your organization. Learn more about Immersion Week
  • Job Search Strategies Workshops feature industry speakers and professional development experts that explores the wide range of career opportunities beyond the academy, methods to navigate a job search, and tactics to secure desired positions.
  • Team Practicum is a forum for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to collaborate with industry partners on projects.
  • Company Site Visit gives graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to interact with professionals from our A2i industry partners through virtual or in-person company site visits.
  • Internship helps connect skilled Penn Staters with exciting internship opportunities.

Learn more about A2i Modules 

"Through Accelerate to Industry, employers gain insight and access to graduate students who are representative of the Penn State graduate education community at large. This can provide an awareness to the types of challenges and gaps in knowledge that may exist, allowing companies the opportunity to be better prepare to identify, recruit, and then bring on board new employees fresh from graduate school."

—Jay Kovacs, Chief Innovation Officer, Axient Corporation

Penn State A2i Annual Corporate Sponsorship Program

Premier Principal Associate Basic

1 Immersion Week Lunch Leadership presentation

Featured company exhibit/ booth on display throughout the entire Immersion Week

Enhanced partnership with A2i leadership team

Additional Immersion Week presentation

Quarterly meetings with the A2i Leadership Team

1 Immersion Week Breakfast Leadership talk

1 Immersion Week presentation

Develop strategic plan for long-term talent acquisition at Penn State

Small advertisement in brochure and presentations

Onsite campus interview accommodations during Immersion Week

Exhibit/booth space during the Immersion Week

Registration for the Immersion Week Company Expo

Facilitated connections between A2i participants and companies during Immersion Week.

A2i targeted recruitment support service for internships, job positions, and other hiring needs

$10,000 $5,000 $2,500 $1,000
*All tiers include the features of previous tiers

Contact Information

If you're interested in becoming an Industry Partner or if you have any other questions, please contact Lesley Jackson, Associate Director, Graduate Student Career and Professional Development at law177@psu.edu.

This page was generated on May 9, 2024 at 6:32 PM local time. This may not be the most recent version of this page. Check the Penn State Graduate School website for updates.