A NEW WORKFORCE STARTS MONDAY:  EXTERNS TO PROVIDE 
FREE LABOR WHILE GAINING PRICELESS EXPERIENCE

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 7 -- While most of their class
mates are enjoying the last week of break before classes resume,
approximately 700 University of Virginia students start a week of
non-paid work Monday.
	They will be participants in U.Va.'s extern program, the
largest program of its kind in the country.  Offered three times a
year--in January, March and during summer break--by the Office of
Career Planning and Placement, the program gives students a week to
explore careers in fields as diverse as arts administration and
zoology--and gives employers free help and an easy way to screen
potential job candidates.
	Students pay their own costs, including transportation,
housing and meals, while exploring careers at selected sites across
the United States.  The most popular fields students investigate are
medicine, law and finance, and the preferred locales are Washington,
D.C., Richmond, Virginia, and New York City.  
	"We're seeing more and more job offers come from
externships," said Tom Fitch, program coordinator.  He noted that
some of the firm's sponsors are people who started at firms as
externs.
	Now in its 17th year, the extern program has grown from
placing fewer than 100 students primarily in Virginia to placing
1,200 students annually throughout the U.S.  
	Open to second-year students through graduate students, the
program gives participants tips on how to gain the most from the
experience.  "Since the program attracts motivated students who are
committed to exploring career options, firms gain intelligent young
people who are deeply interested in their fields," Fitch said.
"It's easy to see why the program has grown."
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January 6, 1995
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Tom Fitch at (804) 924-8900.