Kelly Scientific Launches Future Scientists Program

Kelly Scientific Resources (KSR), the scientific staffing business unit of Kelly Services Inc. (Troy, MI), in partnership with VerticalNet Inc. (Horsham, PA), BioResearch Online's parent company, has initiated a new national program to link academic and industry partners in the sciences. The KSR Future Scientists Program will help students and entry-level scientists find jobs, internships, and research opportunities at chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech companies. The program, which is available to universities, professors, and students free of charge, will also provide scholarships and seminars about education and careers in the sciences.

According to Rolf Kleiner, senior VP and general manager of the Kelly Science and Healthcare Services Group, the new program will lay the groundwork for a true scientific apprenticeship program. "Through the Future Scientists Program, science students and their faculty advisors will be able to get hands-on experience with our industry partners, some of the most prominent companies in the industry," Kleiner said. "Real-world experience will make graduates very marketable in the sciences where good people are needed very badly."

KSR has already begun to implement several components of the program. Five scholarships have been designated for California State University, Long Beach. Internships have been arranged at Neutrogena, US Borax, Medical Analysis Systems, and other chemical and biotechnology companies. In addition, professors at Morehead State University are using the Kelly Science Learning Center as part of their curriculum, and resume preparation workshops have been delivered to more than 350 students on 15 campuses.

Kleiner predicts that students in the program will command some of the best salaries among science graduates. "Ideally, they will complete a few internships at some prestigious companies, perhaps receive a scholarship or fellowship from us, and take some courses on the Kelly Science Learning Center before completing their bachelor's degree," he added. "These students will have real experience in real science environments it might take other students two or three years to attain."

Kelly Scientific Resources is the largest company in the world dedicated to scientific staffing, currently employing more than 4,000 scientists. KSR provides scientific staffing services on a temporary, project, and full-time basis to the biotechnological, chemical, consumer products, cosmetics, environmental, food sciences, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical industries, among others.

For more information: Kelly Services Inc., 999 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084. Tel: 248-362-4444 or 888-465-3559. Fax: 248-813-3990.

Edited by Jim Pomager