Job Shadowing Program

The Penn State Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Society (PSIMES) is proud to offer students and organizations the opportunity to participate in the Job Shadowing Program, which allows industrial engineering students at Penn State to learn more about the work activities, required skill sets, and development opportunities of an industrial/manufacturing engineering position in industry.

Goals

The goals of the PSIMES Job Shadowing Program are:

• To provide opportunities for current Penn State industrial engineering students to gain a real-life perspective of career opportunities by spending a day onsite or by participating in a virtual discussion with industrial engineers from an organization that employ industrial and/or manufacturing engineers.
• To build relationships with organizations that employs industrial/manufacturing engineers to open opportunities for potential internships and permanent employment for Penn State industrial engineering students.

Job Shadowing Program 2023-24

Our program will include a number of ways for students to gain firsthand knowledge of IE jobs in ways that best fit their ability and willingness to travel as well as the ability of company representatives to host onsite visits: 

• A traditional onsite visit where students can shadow practicing industrial engineers
• Matching students for a virtual job shadowing discussion
• Topical virtual forums featuring practicing engineers in a variety of organizations integrated into the classroom setting

These various formats allow students to learn about how engineers function in their work environment, while also facilitating discussions about the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful.

All three aspects of the program will include participation from industry leaders across the country. PSIMES also welcomes alumni participation to support our students.

2023-24 Program Schedule:

• On-site job shadowing application and matching: August-October 
• Topical virtual forums featuring scheduled during the year as part of IME Curriculum TBD (watch for communications via LinkedIn and Student IISE Chapter)
• Virtual job shadowing matching: Ongoing during school year

• On-site or virtual job shadowing:
  • More information for students »
  • More information for companies »
• Virtual job shadow forum: Each forum consists of an approximately 90-minute panel discussion with six alumni and a moderator with questions provided to panelists in advance.
  • Alumni/company representatives sign-up form »
    Note: Not all respondents may be included in the 2022-23 academic year; however, PSIMES will keep submitted information for future forums or for job shadow visits. The support for our students is always appreciated!

Questions?

Please send questions about the program to psimesjobshadowing@psu.edu.