Hire Badgers: Student Staffing Opportunities for Small Business (MSBB)

Did you know that the UW-Madison Work-Study Program, previously reserved for on-campus and non-profit organizations, has been expanded to small businesses – and, as of September 2023, even covers 50% of the wages earned? Or that many UW-Madison students pursue internship opportunities as a way to develop new skills and explore career pathways while they are studying at UW?

By providing internship and work-study opportunities for UW-Madison students, businesses can:

• Increase staff diversity
• Focus on back-burner projects
• Engage with talented, enthusiastic students
• Give back to the community through mentorship
• Hire affordable staff who can make a true contribution to the organization
• Provide management experience for current staff and career development opportunities for students
• Gain access to skillsets not currently on your staff
• Contribute to community/university relationships
• Develop a potential recruitment pipeline (with lower cost/risk)
• Have new perspectives and enthusiasm

If you’ve ever wondered about hiring a UW-Madison student, this session is for you! We’ll discuss the differences between the Work-Study Program and student internship opportunities and help you understand more about how to make the experience a successful one for both you and the student.

Throughout the session we’ll cover:

• How the Work-Study and internship programs work, and how businesses can participate
• How to create an engaging internship opportunity that offers interesting, meaningful work
• The mechanics of how to post jobs, interview, and hire
• An overview of who our students are and what they are interested in
• How to establish appropriate tasks for students and set everyone up for success
• Details of who is eligible to offer internships and work-study opportunities, what qualifies as an internship

Who is eligible to hire UW-Madison students?

Work-study: Non-profits and small businesses can apply for the work-study program to hire UW-Madison work study students. Currently, work study students can work anywhere in the state of Wisconsin.

Internships: Non-profits, start-ups and small businesses from all industries and sectors are strongly encouraged to consider hiring interns

Please only register if you are available and plan to attend, so the provided funding can assist as many small business owners as possible.

This class is online.

Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration up to 5 business days prior to the start of this training program without penalty. Cancellations, requests, and other notice of changes for this program should be provided in writing by sending an email to sbdc@wsb.wisc.edu indicating your name, business, and the course you were registered for.

Waitlist: If this class is full, please let us know that you are interested in attending by adding your name to our waitlist.