More than 500 interns, employees and company leaders recently participated in Freeport’s annual Intern Conference at the Hub in Phoenix to celebrate another successful season and to learn about the great work that took place over the summer.
“This year’s program was another huge success,” said Erich Bower, General Manager-Strategic Workforce Development. “The presentations were impressive and provided a great opportunity to get to know some of the best and brightest students.”
Nearly 300 students joined the company as interns this summer in various fields, including engineering, mine planning, finance and accounting, communications, human resources, health and safety, and more. Of those, 130 were chosen to present their project work in person as well as to participants attending virtually.
While many have since returned home, the hope is they will continue their journey at Freeport as others have before. Last year, 87 percent – or 241 – summer interns were extended offers with the company.
“The internship program is one of the best talent feeders at Freeport,” Bower said. “With four out of five new graduates accepting offers, it shows our interns enjoy their experience and feel Freeport has a lot to offer in regard to training, development and career growth."
Helping make the program a positive experience is the goal of the company’s College Talent Acquisition team and the many mentors who champion and support their interns’ work and learning during their time at Freeport.
Here’s what a couple interns had to say:
Major Garfield, a sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Texas who interned with Finance and Accounting, admits he wasn’t familiar with the mining industry until a family member who works in the New Orleans office encouraged him to apply.
“The experience was so interactive and much cooler than any of my peers or I ever imagined,” he said.
Garfield said he enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate and seeing the company’s commitment to responsibly produce the metals the world needs.
“I’m grateful for my internship at Freeport and the opportunity it gave me to build professional connections early in my career.”
Nora Sherman, a sophomore at Arizona State University majoring in Geological Sciences and a returning Geology intern, said her second internship at Freeport solidified her love of mining.
“I love mining. My experiences interning at Freeport have fueled my passion for the industry, especially this year at Morenci. I was at the center of everything and saw the whole process. It was a truly fascinating and rewarding experience,” she said.
Sherman’s first internship took place last year at the Technology Center in Tucson. She said her mentor went the extra mile to help her succeed, inspiring her to pursue a second internship.
“Everyone at Freeport has been very nice and welcoming, and anybody I asked a question answered it happily; nobody made me feel like a burden. I loved it,” she said.