Wood, the global engineering and consulting company, is proud to announce the launch of the Powered by Possible partnership with the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), the world's oldest and largest association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program includes summer internships, scholarships, student skills development and curriculum support.
“Partnering with the AUCC gives us the opportunity to work closely with talented STEM students and future leaders from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. These students will directly help Wood advance sustainable infrastructure and energy for future generations,” said Lytle Troutt, President of Wood’s Resilient Environments business.
“Wood is dedicated to unlocking solutions to the world’s most critical challenges. To meet these head on, we need the brightest minds and the creative thinking that comes from a highly diverse workforce. Working with HBCUs gives us access to a powerhouse of academic gamechangers that drive progress and enable real and lasting change in local communities and society as a whole.”
Through the internship program, students will have the opportunity to make positive impact while honing their skills on a variety of challenging world-class projects. Students will be matched with industry-leading experts as mentors to collaborate, gain hands-on experience, and develop their technical, leadership and communications skills. From planning the next big project in sustainable infrastructure to designing a wind farm to provide net-zero power solutions to an entire community, the day-to-day experience will look quite different for each intern while providing each individual with a practical and highly impactful assignment.
Dr. Chris Ellis, Co-Director of the AUCC said: “Partnering with Wood is exciting and will afford our students with robust opportunities to engage with and learn from industry experts in real time. Moreover, through this partnership, I am hopeful that the interaction between Wood and the AUCC will only strengthen the support and resources offered to our students in the Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP).”
“We see this as a true two-way partnership. Bringing students on board and mentoring them is great development, but more importantly, we’ll be learning from these future leaders of tomorrow,” said John Jennyson, President of People & Organization for Wood’s Consulting business.
“Interns will work on real-world projects while being welcomed into a globally diverse network of professionals to support their growth and celebrate their achievements. At Wood, we believe diversity of experiences, backgrounds, and beliefs differentiates our business and enables our success.”
The Powered by Possible program will initially select six undergraduates from the AUCC’s member institutions to intern for 10 weeks in multiple locations across the US in summer 2021. With additional internship and scholarship opportunities across the globe, the program is part of Wood’s long-term commitment to support professionals in their early careers and build a future-ready team focused on creating a truly sustainable and resilient tomorrow.