Marketing services provider Maritz has partnered with Northwood University for an internship program that will acquaint students with the automotive industry and connect them with its clients.
Maritz announced in March at the Future of Automotive 2.0 summit in Naples, Fla., that its automotive team will participate in a series of guest lectures to share its industry experience, as well as learn from the students.
Terry Erwin, vice president of Maritz, told Automotive News that Maritz and Northwood are meeting this month, before final exams and the end of the semester, to talk about the internship program and its time frame.
Erwin said he plans to start the internships this summer at the company's Detroit office, then work to define the program during the new school year.
Ideally, Maritz would like to run summer internships in several of its field offices or in conjunction with the internship program it has in place at its headquarters in Fenton, Mo., he said.
With field offices that support its automotive clients in Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and California, the company works with over a dozen manufacturers and many dealers.
Interns will have responsibilities that are aligned with supporting clients in those markets, he said.
The number of interns accepted for the summer term is dependent on the company's client activity and the level of interest from students, Erwin said.
The vice president also noted that Maritz interns are strongly considered for open positions after graduation.
Maritz also is creating a scholarship for the university's automotive marketing and management students. Details will be defined and agreed to by May, he said.
"Northwood graduates have a deep knowledge of the business, hands-on experience and, most importantly, a real desire to work in the industry, either on the manufacturing side or in retail," he said. "We have Northwood alumni working for us at Maritz, and I've had a number of clients over the years who went to school there -- it just seems like a good fit."
