“This position has been extremely valuable to me not only to refine my PR skills, but to learn more about the different PR industries. I want to work in the entertainment industry, and working with the Herd has shown me how much of an impact a sports team can have on its community and how I enjoy cultivating that.”
-Katie Biersach, UW Oshkosh student interning with the Wisconsin Herd
Young professionals are a vital component of Wisconsin’s workforce and economy. The UW System continually works to ensure that students are prepared to enter the workplace and meet the needs of employers upon graduation.
This week, the UW System joins the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the rest of the state in celebrating Young Professionals Week (YP Week). YPWeek recognizes the contributions young professionals make in Wisconsin – and many of them developed their skills and knowledge on a UW System campus.
The UW System graduates more than 36,500 degree-holders every year, contributing more than $41 million each and every day to our economy. However, data shows that over the next 30 years, 95% of Wisconsin’s population growth will be people age 65 and older, while the state’s working age population between the ages of 18 and 64 is projected to remain essentially flat.
The UW System remains focused on creating the best educational opportunities possible to provide students with the experience, skills, and knowledge they need to have an immediate impact in our current and future economy and workforce. To that end, a goal in the UW System’s 2020FWD strategic framework is to provide every student with the opportunity to experience at least two high-impact learning practices, including internships and undergraduate research. Every time a student interns with a Wisconsin employer, the likelihood they will stay in Wisconsin state increases because internships often turn into job offers.
Katie Biersach and Alicia Kahl are students at UW Oshkosh preparing to enter the workforce as young professionals in the Public Relations industry. As public relations majors and big sports fans, they have been interning in the PR department for the Wisconsin Herd, a new G League (minor league) team for the Milwaukee Bucks, based in Oshkosh. Both students plan to leverage their experience to working full-time as public relation professionals in the sports/entertainment industry.
About eighty-five percent of UW System students stay in Wisconsin after graduation, raising their families and keeping Wisconsin a great place to live and work. We will continue to focus on a quality education, and we are proud UW-related internships create a meaningful job experience for many young professionals across our state.
Dr. Ray Cross is the seventh president of the University of Wisconsin System. He also served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin–Extension from 2011-2014. Cross served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was awarded four medals for his service.
- Visit UW System’s For Wisconsin webpage for more stories about how the UW is shaping young professionals across Wisconsin
- Visit ypweek.com for more information on YP Week
- To connect with young professionals in Oshkosh, please visit Propel Oshkosh.