Volvo Group North America has renewed its Academic Preferred Partner (APP) agreement with Pennsylvania State University for another three-year term. The Volvo Group first named Penn State an Academic Preferred Partner in 2009, offering students co-op, internship and mentoring opportunities.
“We are pleased to once again partner with Penn State, which has been mutually beneficial for both the university and for Volvo,” says Hope Rush, Volvo Group North America director of talent strategy. “Through the Academic Preferred Partner program, Volvo offers Penn State students opportunities within our organization to give them real-world experiences while also enticing them to join Volvo Group as an employee once they graduate.”
The Volvo Group began its partnership when it focused on efficient energy solutions for sustainable transportation and automation for intelligent vehicles. The partnership now is expanded to include emerging technologies, such as connected vehicles and artificial intelligence.
The university’s geographic location offers an ideal opportunity for the Volvo Group, due to its close proximity to three major Volvo Group manufacturing facilities – Mack Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pa., Volvo Construction Equipment in Shippensburg, Pa., and Volvo Group Powertrain in Hagerstown, Md.
“The Volvo Group is one of the world’s iconic companies and one of Penn State’s most esteemed corporate partners,” says Penn State Associate Vice President of Research Jeff Fortin. “Our continued relationship will benefit the Volvo Group, the students and faculty at Penn State, the trucking and heavy equipment industries, and countless others in the years to come.”
During the past several years, Volvo Group says the partnership has resulted in: new research teams and faculty fellowships; several patents from Penn State professors; the development of the Innovation Gateway, a novel web tool which connects Penn State researchers to the technical challenges and needs of industry; the hiring of approximately 100 Penn State students as full-time Volvo Group employees; and the hiring of an additional 150 students for co-op and internship positions.
