First-time jobs can be hard to come by, so getting a paid summer internship and gaining experience while still in high school is a real score.
Forty-two high school interns spent last summer working at transportation and planning agencies throughout the nine-county Bay Area. Photo by Peter Beeler
By Georgia Lambert
First-time jobs can be hard to come by, so getting a paid summer internship and gaining experience while still in high school is a real score. High school sophomores, juniors and graduating seniors in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area are encouraged to apply for paid summer internships in the transportation field.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) annual High School Internship Program seeks student applicants for summer internship positions in local transportation agencies throughout the nine-county region (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties). “The program’s purpose is to introduce students to career opportunities in transportation,” said MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger.
Students must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program this June and have completed the 10th grade. Additionally, students must live and go to school in the county where the position is offered. Students graduating in 2015 are eligible to apply for the internships. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, March 8.
The program’s flexible schedule allows students to be employed either full-time or part-time for up to ten weeks between June 18 and August 28. Students will work with local public agencies in a department related to transportation planning or engineering, public works or public transit. Hourly pay is $12.25. Some 40 paid internships are available. A list of internship opportunities and the online application are available at: jobs.mtc.ca.gov/InternshipOpportunities/jobinternship.html. Program require-ments can be found at: www.mtc.ca.gov/jobs/high_school/. For more information, contact MTC’s high school internship coordinator, Yulee Kim, at (510) 817-5807.
Students applying with a minimum unweighted grade-point average of 2.8 or above must submit one letter of recommendation. Applications from students with grade-point averages below an unweighted 2.8 will be considered if accompanied by two letters of recommendation. “This is an opportunity for students throughout the entire region,” commented MTC Recruiting Manager Ann Macaulay. “Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties are areas where student applications are especially sought.”
Applications will only be accepted online. To apply, submit the completed application, along with a one-page response that describes, in the applicant’s own words, a transportation problem in their community and what the applicant thinks could be done to resolve it. A letter (or letters) of recommendation from a teacher, principal, counselor, religious leader or employer must also be included. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on March 8. In some counties, the deadline may be extended until the internship positions are filled.
MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
During the orientation session in 2014, interns broke into groups for activities. Photo by Natalie Orenstein
During a team-building activity at the 2014 orientation, students build paper towers, practicing the teamwork and patience they’ll need to employ at their internships. Photo by Natalie Orenstein
