|
At the University of Idaho, students gain education and skills to lead our state’s top industries into the future. Amalgamated Sugar taps into the U of I talent pool for chemical and mechanical engineers, crop consultants and a variety of business-related professionals.
Gina Smith-Winegar, talent acquisition manager for Amalgamated Sugar, works to build relationships with students, many of whom go on to work for one of Idaho’s landmark companies. She will be in Moscow next week for networking nights with the College of Engineering and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, before the Spring Career Fair on Wednesday.
“The team in Career Services at U of I does an amazing job prepping students to talk with us at the career fair and networking nights,” Smith-Winegar said. “We’ve built relationships with the staff and a lot of the students so that, by the time they graduate, we know them by name. It’s a huge benefit for us and for them.”
A grower-owned cooperative, Amalgamated Sugar operates factories in Twin Falls, Paul and Nampa, producing 2.2 billion pounds of sugar each year. U of I alumni and students help upgrade the company’s facilities and assist farmers as they face new challenges. Innovative solutions are needed to keep the company operating efficiently.
Amalgamated Sugar provides scholarship support for six graduate students in the U of I’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics, including a doctoral student using AI to improve efficiency in a manufacturing facility. Each summer, the company hires interns who often work closely with sugar beet growers around the state, employing drones to monitor crops. Over the past three years, six interns from the U of I landed full-time positions with Amalgamated Sugar, and three others were hired after graduating. Many of those students connected with Smith-Winegar at the career fair.
Close to 150 employers will fill the P1FCU Kibbie Dome floor at the Spring Career Fair next week. Students get to know potential employers across Idaho and beyond and make connections that lead to internships or even job offers.
“We’ve been building our internship program because they learn and develop additional skills here and our intent is to hire at least 30 percent of our interns each year,” Smith-Winegar said. “We’ve been very successful with the U of I and being there on campus is really important for us.”
U of I graduates enter the job market ready to contribute from day one. The U of I is proud to partner with Idaho’s top employers to provide internships, experiential learning opportunities and develop the innovative workforce our state needs.
|
