All About Internships

You can gain real-world career experience through supervised internships. Ask your school counselor at high school about deadlines.

This program is open to grades 11 and 12 in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Washington counties.

Explore Opportunities How to Apply Student Handbook

Why Do an Internship?

There’s no better way to learn skills related to your future career and the workplace in general. Even if your internship isn’t directly related to what you want to do for a living, it will still help you develop important workplace skills like teamwork, organization, and public speaking. Other reasons to pursue internships include:

• Learning about a field before you commit to it. Get the inside look at jobs in the field you’re considering and figure out whether they’re a good fit for you early on.
• Improving your resume. Employers expect to see varied experience with accomplishments and skills you’ve learned. An internship is a great place to get that experience.
• Networking. It’s tough for high school students to network when they’re not in their chosen field yet. Internships let you meet people at all levels of the company where you’re interning, and those connections can be valuable.
• Getting job offers. Sometimes internships can lead to full-time employment. However, even if they don’t, they’re a great way to get your foot in the door in general.

Is an Internship Right For You?

There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom about what you want to do for a career. Internships are a great way to get a head start and explore the field you might go into.

Your guidance counselor can assist with the application process. It is required to have the internship class on your course schedule. The internship can be taken during the summer.

The application is a vetted process with an application and interview. Not all students are ready for an internship and may not be accepted into the program. Make it a great start and be sure you've done at least one job shadow before applying!

While WLC staff consider all completed applications, not all applicants will receive an internship or their first choice of internship site.

You can apply for the internship program the summer session before your junior year through the spring session of your senior year. Students who have graduated from high school are not eligible.

Kirkwood’s Internship Requirements

Duties of the internship are outlined in a job description and by your host. It requires working 45-90 hours over the course of the academic term, and you may earn academic credit from your HS upon completion of the course requirements.

You must have time in your schedule to complete this class, so check with your guidance counselor to be sure you have the time available. This is not an issue during the summer. Some schools have restrictions on the number of hours allowed.

Course requirements include:

• Complete the on-site hours as required by your school's specific program and meet the host requirements and functions of the internship opportunity as defined on the job description.
• Attend and participate in the mandatory career development meetings sponsored by the Workplace Learning Connection and complete any homework assignments given.
• Complete the Guided Student Journal provided by WLC.
• Complete student survey by end of session.

Workplace Learning Connection

Linn County Regional Center
1770 Boyson Road, Hiawatha, Iowa 52233
319-398-1040 | 319-398-1041 (fax)

Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa
2301 Oakdale Blvd., Coralville, Iowa 52241
319-887-3970 | 319-358-3102 (fax)