For the first time, the annual event was held in the 16 Tech Innovation District – one of a growing number of Purdue co-locations across Indianapolis – aligning with the launch of Purdue’s expansion into the Circle City. New opportunities for employers to leverage talent from the expansion were highlighted – in particular, the competitive “brain gain and retain” advantage of the Purdue in Indianapolis student experience design, which emphasizes real-world, hands-on learning integrated with the work of Central Indiana companies.
“The launch of Purdue in Indianapolis is this incredible unicorn moment where Indiana employers have the ability to onboard with something new, that has capacity for new partners, with the backing of the most consequential public university in the state, the most rigorous curriculum, and the most competitive pool of talent we’ve ever seen,” said Virginia Vought, executive director of Central Indiana engagement for Purdue, in the opener to a panel on campus engagement.
“Hands on” classroom and extra-curricular project partnerships were lauded by panelists as a key strategy for employers to increase brand awareness among potential recruits and develop pipelines of interested candidates. The event showcased three high-engagement and high-reward pathways for employers, prioritized for the launch of Purdue in Indianapolis:
Kate Caward, assistant director of experiential education for Purdue in Indianapolis, touted the advantages of building relationships with students via project-based partnerships over a more conventional, annual career fair appearance. “A project partnership gives employers a chance to get into the classroom, target their ideal talent pool by major and course progression, see firsthand how the students work, and engage their brand across an entire course,” said Caward. “It’s a great strategy for recruiting and vetting candidates.”
Panelists from across the university described the value of capstones and other projects beyond recruiting to thought leadership, faculty access, or to simply get work done that would otherwise be sidelined. Undergraduate and graduate students deliver data analyses, AI tools, marketing strategies, supply chain analyses, employee retention recommendations and more to their corporate partners.
For some partners, the appeal is the students themselves, as consumers. “We have exceptionally experienced company teams who want to understand things from a 20-year-old’s perspective,” said Catherine Moser, associate director of industry partnerships for the Daniels School of Business. “What better way to get that than through course engagement?”
