Valued member Royal Electric Company has had extensive experience providing internships and recruiting talent. To address this need, AGC of California asked Jeanine Jansen, Workforce Development Manager with Royal Electric to share insight and resources that has shaped the ways they champion students, particularly AGC Student Chapter members, who are enthusiastic to learn, network, and hopefully pick up their next internship or first post-graduation job.
AGC of California: Tell us about Royal Electric’s experience with AGC Student Chapters. What main events or activities have you participated in or sponsored?
Jeanine Jansen: Royal has had extensive experience/involvement sponsoring Student Chapter events and career fairs that provide an opportunity for the Chapters to attend AGC of California events like the Annual Construct Conference and Emerging Leaders (formerly Construction Leadership Council) events.
AGC of California: What key benefits does Royal Electric obtain from their involvement with AGC Student Chapters?
Jeanine Jansen: It easily provides access to students involved in construction-related majors in a more closely knit/one-on-one setting, which differs from some instances with larger events. This allows companies to really foster relationships early with students and for years to come. Involvement with Student Chapter members is also unique in the fact that they tend to end up at an AGC member company that will continue their involvement in AGC throughout their career and maintain that continuity.
AGC of California: What steps do you recommend companies take if they are interested in engaging with AGC Student Chapters?
Jeanine Jansen: First, Contact a staff member! They are the best resource to get a head start on involvement in Student Chapters.
Second, the AGC of California website also has a list of Student Chapters that will connect you to someone at the school that can give you details on getting involved. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone!
AGC of California: What best practices does Royal Electric have for companies interested in providing internships or recruiting talent from AGC Student Chapters?
Jeanine Jansen: Network, network, network! Make sure your company is attending functions AGC Student Chapters participate in; career fairs, info sessions to present about the company, Construct, asking your current interns if they know anyone or any other ways to get involved, and if you have interns that attend a school that has a Student Chapter encourage them to join the Chapter as well.
Also, find out when your managers want interns, how many, so you know when to start building your internship pipeline.
AGC of California: Talk to us about an intern or full-time hire success. Can you tell us about an AGC Student Chapter hire and their experience at Royal Electric?
Jeanine Jansen: A great roundabout success story Royal has for a Student Chapter member is Tanner Borbe. In June of 2018, Royal hired Tanner as an Intern from CSU Chico. Although a Computer Science major at the time, he was unsure about continuing with the major, and was provided the opportunity to experience construction. While interning with Royal, he changed his Major to Construction Management. He was encouraged by me and a classmate to join the AGC Student Chapter, which he did. He enjoyed the experience with the Student Chapter—participating in meetings, doing his OSHA 10, doing community service and other activities. For Tanner, it was an extra way to get hands on experience and collaborate with classmates.
His experience with Royal has been eventful. He interned for us on-site at a science building project for CSU Chico. During his internship he worked in a capacity similar to a Field Engineer, working on RFIs, walks with inspectors, QC, day to day problem solving and much more. Since graduation, Tanner joined Royal as a full-time Project Engineer and has been an integral member of the team for successful projects with schools, airfield, and underground.
Royal Electric is the Presenting Sponsor in our upcoming AGC-CEF #Construct2021 Student Chapter Job Fair on November 11, 2021. To participate in the job fair, or for more information on supporting AGC Student Chapters, please contact Erin Volk at volke@agc-ca.org.
