Companies benefit in the long term by encouraging and enthusing more young people to become potential professional engineers. Their value will be related to their ability rather than their scarcity. In the short term, most companies have derived considerable benefit from having a team of bright students working on and solving a real problem. Many solutions have been incorporated into the manufacturing process and the savings for the company have been spectacular on occasion. In addition there are the benefits that come from good relations with the local community.
Some companies target students who have worked on a company project as potential future employees.