PROJECT MAVERICK INTERNSHIPS: A UNIVERSITY'S ONSHORE ALTERNATIVE TO OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING

摘要

This paper will outline a unique and very successful student internship experience for students in information system programs. This internship experience is an onshore alternative for companies looking for alternatives to offshore outsourcing of information systems projects. The unique feature of this model is the partnership formed between a university and its industry partner. The industry partner uses the university and students as an "outsourcing" agent to complete both software testing and software development tasks. The project leadership is provided by a third party intermediary who ensures the overall quality of the work being completed on a project. Not only is this "onshoring" project of great benefit for the university and its students, but preliminary anecdotal feedback from the industry partner shows a dramatic cost/benefit advantage over outsourcing to offshore vendors. Throughout this paper, traditional offshore alternatives will be compared and contrasted with this "onshoring" alternative. In addition, this manuscript will also present some exploratory research results as to the overall effectiveness of the program according to the student interns on the project.