Homeland Security partnership aims to place Marshall Unversity students into state jobs

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A new partnership between the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and Marshall University is aiming to put students into jobs at the state level.

“How great is it to say that they’re going to have the Department of Homeland Security on their resume? It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Rodney Sanders with the Office of Career Education at Marshall University.

The initiative is to help place students into jobs and potentially create career pathways to keep them in West Virginia after graduation.

“There’s so many times I hear students say, ‘Well maybe I just need to leave this state and get some experience in order to come back’ and sometimes that does happen, but when you have an opportunity like this just kind of handed to you, you really want to make the most of it,” said Cris McDavid, director of the Office of Career Education at Marshall University.

The partnership provides selected Marshall University students with an hourly rate of $16 and flexible hours, with the ability to work full-time during breaks and summers. Full-time schedules are eligible to receive medical and retirement benefits.

Some of the available positions include human resources, purchasing, case manager, counselor, GIS technician, emergency services specialist, data analyst, public relations and fleet management.

“They may have dealt with millions of dollars in federal money through FEMA, or they may be protecting our state from working in control centers, non-dangerous environments at our jails and prisons and juvenile facilities,” said West Virginia Department of Homeland Security Cabinet Secretary Jeff Sandy.

The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security comprises multiple agencies. The following agencies are currently participating in this joint partnership, Division of Administrative Services, West Virginia Fusion Center, Division of Emergency Management, Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the State Fire Marshal.

Sandy says he benefited from a program similar to this with the U.S. Government during his time at Marshall University.

“I was able to graduate owing nothing,” he said.

This partnership could help students excel their careers even faster and let them build a competitive resume.

“We hope these individuals will like what they’re doing and want to stay in West Virginia and have a great career with the state,” Sandy said.

Sandy says there are more than 1,000 job openings within the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.

This partnership welcomes students majoring in a variety of fields including, Accounting, Criminal Justice, Cyber Forensics and Security, Digital Forensics, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Forensic Analytical Chemistry, General Business, Geographic Information Science, Health and Wellness, Information Systems, Journalism, Law Enforcement, Marketing, Medical Imaging, Military Science, Nursing, Psychology, Public Communications, Public Relations, Social Work, Sociology, Special Education, Statistics, Thermodynamics, or Web Development.

If students are interested in applying for one of these positions, you can call the Office of Career Education or contact Rodney Sanders at 304-696-6051 or email him at sanders28@marshall.edu.

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