BUILD Partnerships
Create opportunities for our students by partnering with Bethel University's BUILD program.
At Bethel University, the BUILD program connects students with intellectual disabilities to internship opportunities that foster professional growth and community impact. By partnering with local businesses, organizations, and churches, we aim to create inclusive environments where students can develop skills, gain confidence, and contribute their unique talents. Join us in shaping a more inclusive workforce while enriching your organization through collaboration with BUILD.
- If you're a sponsor or partner, we appreciate your support! Visit our partner’s websites to support them.
- If you are interested in being a BUILD partner, email us at build-program@bethel.edu.
Frequently asked questions
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First, RSVP to attend the BUILD Internship Fair, held the Wednesday of finals week during fall semester! Here, you will interview students and decide who might be good candidates for an internship in your department.
Second, after the fair, you will hear from one of our internship supervisors—Bethany Lundgren or Jaran Roste—so you can coordinate with them about who you’d like to hire. You may also ask any follow-up questions you might have after attending the fair.
Throughout the month of January, you and the internship supervisor will communicate about which student could be a good fit for your office, the basic job duties that will be required, and details like the timing and length of shifts. Once that is settled, email the student in BUILD (copying build-program@bethel.edu) to offer them the internship, which would begin the following semester.
- Beginning their second semester at Bethel, students in BUILD are required to work 60 hours at their internships each semester. This breaks down to about 5-7 hours per week.
- One semester. Commitments are made semester by semester. While we would love to continue partnering with your department or organization longer term, reassessing and deciding whether to host another student is always part of the process.
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If this is traditionally a paid position on campus, then the student in BUILD should also be paid. If the position is created specifically to provide a meaningful opportunity for the student but isn’t traditionally paid, the student would not be paid.
Additionally, the BUILD program will cover the cost of a mentor, whether or not the student in BUILD is paid.
- Definitely. Each year, on the Wednesday of finals week during fall semester, all campus partners are invited to participate in our internship fair. This is an opportunity to meet and interview students in the program. Afterward, you can share which students you feel would be the best fit for your area. Students also choose which places they would like to interview with, ensuring their internship feels meaningful and aligns with their goals.
- In some cases, students can have multiple internships to fulfill their required hours. Even working 1-2 hours a week in your department could still be invaluable for the right student, depending on their professional goals. Please reach out to let us know you’re interested in partnering—we would be happy to work with you to explore possibilities.
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Each student will have a mentor, paid by the BUILD program, who will work with them during each shift.
If you and the internship supervisor agree that a student is ready to work independently, a plan can be developed to phase out the mentor’s support.
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You could hire a student in BUILD as your student worker and assign one of your current student workers to serve as the job mentor. In this case, the BUILD program would pay your current student worker. The bonus? You get to keep your wonderful student worker, and they can train and support the student in BUILD.
- That’s just fine! We can work with you to create ideas for what a meaningful internship could look like in your area. If you are creating a role specifically for a student in BUILD, the internship would not be paid.
- If possible, RSVP to attend the BUILD Internship Fair on the Wednesday of finals week during fall semester. Before the internship begins, you’ll sign an onboarding contract and create a list of basic job duties. At the end of each semester, we’ll ask you to fill out a feedback form to help us understand the student’s strengths and areas for improvement.
West Pharmaceuticals has provided the BUILD program the opportunity to purchase iPads and protective cases for each new student. This technology enables students to be able to access their course content and complete their coursework with all of the built-in accessibility options and apps available on Apple products. Through the West Pharma Grant, we have been able to continue welcoming our new students with these integral pieces of technology and have now also expanded this support to include purchasing Google Read&Write for the entire university to use to be able to access assistive technology support on any device.
In order to keep costs affordable for our students, the BUILD program relies heavily on grants and scholarships. If you would like to be involved in this aspect of our program, please email us at build-program@bethel.edu.
