Every summer, hundreds of talented college students come to Greater Lafayette for internships. Some of them get offers, and then a lot of them leave not because they didn’t like the company, but because they never really got to know the place. That’s not a recruiting failure. It’s a belonging problem.

Research backs it up. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies that convert interns to full-time hires see a 70% five-year retention rate, which is nearly double the rate for employees hired through traditional recruiting. The difference is the relationship, not the job offer. Interns who feel genuinely connected to their work, their employer and their community are dramatically more likely to say yes and stay in Greater Lafayette.

Greater Lafayette Commerce built the Greater Lafayette Intern Experience around that insight. Now in its second year, the program gives interns a firsthand look at what life here  looks like before they decide where to start their careers. Five events across the summer. Each one designed to build the kind of affinity for a place that makes an intern think twice before defaulting to Chicago or Indianapolis when an offer comes in.

For employers with existing internship programs, it fills in the gaps, adding community connection and professional development to what they’re already offering without adding anything to their team’s plate. For companies without the bandwidth to build a program from scratch, it serves as a turnkey summer experience from May through July.

Last summer, more than 300 interns from 64 universities and 40 local employers participated. Multiple accepted full-time positions in Greater Lafayette after graduation. Communities across Indiana — including Fort Wayne — run similar programs for the same reason: interns who experience a community are more likely to choose it.