GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.–CU*Answers said it is joining with First United Credit Union in Grandville, Mich. to launch what it says is the first CUSO-to-CU internship program.
Two CU*Answers employees started at First United and will work part-time at the credit union for a period of 10-12 weeks.
The program was developed by CU*Answers to encourage credit unions to design internships when looking for new resources.
“Credit unions can get stuck in a rut when looking for resources,” said CU*Answers CEO Randy Karnes. “They stick to the same methods that worked in the past, but with the industry changing to meet the needs of today, credit unions should be looking for creative, new solutions. This program is about creating a spark and getting credit unions to think differently.”
CU*Answers said the program meets the stated goal of its “Walkin the Members Shoes” program.
“Successful CUSOs are not built on what they know, but from learning about what credit unions and their members know,” added Karnes. “As companies grow, they have a tendency to see things only from their own perspective, driving development away from the clients’ vision. However, as a cooperative CUSO it is our goal to build our teams to see and understand the perspectives of our member-owners—it’s key to our success and to theirs.”
The first two CU*Answers employees to participate are Matthew VandeWater, client services account executive, and Susanna Wojtkowiak, organizational resource development administrator, who will join professionals at the credit union to learn more about their compliance and human resources operations.
The CUSO said anyone interested in starting their own CUSO-to-CU internship program with CU*Answers should contact Heather Alberta, manager of organizational development, at 800-327-3478 x272, or halberta@cuanswers.com.