The President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness announced Wednesday that 45 industry leaders have committed to doubling engineering internships available in their companies in 2012.

The White House said five additional companies agreed to increase their internships, for a total of 50 as part of the initiative.

“For America to stay competitive in the global market, we must train and retain the world’s best engineers,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.  “Working together, private industry and the public sector can position the U.S. to continue to lead in science and innovation in the 21st century.”

Other partners include the White House Business Council, Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and the American Chemistry Council.

The Jobs Council has set a goal to graduate 10,000 more engineering students from U.S. colleges and universities each year.  The White House said the internship initiative will add approximately 6,300 additional opportunities for hands-on, technical job experience for engineering students.

Click here to view a full listing of companies participating.