FAA Intern Programs Provide Great Experience for Students

By Ginger Cairnes

The Technical Center intern program is an opportunity for students, who major in several different fields and related disciplines, to merge their academic studies with work experience. Intern positions were posted at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Rowan, Rutgers, Howard, The College of NJ, NJ Institute of Technology and Stockton University. Recruitment and selection consists of visits to the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova, Temple and Drexel to meet with their career services departments and the heads of their engineering and computer science departments.

FAA Headquarters also manages intern and Minority Serving Institution (MSI) programs, whose objectives are to expose minority students and students with disabilities to the aviation industry, research and development and other career fields that will allow them to make educated career choices. These programs include the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU); Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI); Asian-American/Pacific Islanders Program (AAPI); Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU); and People with Disabilities (PWD). Through these programs, the FAA seeks to create a pool of potential future employees who will consider the FAA as a serious career choice because they already had a positive and meaningful FAA work experience through the intern program.

In the MSI Intern Program, students may earn academic credit for their participation in the internship during the fall, spring or summer sessions. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale is required as well as enrollment in a US accredited college/university. This includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The FAA hosted 54 MSI interns this summer (41 Headquarters and 13 field students including the Tech Center). The Tech Center hired a total of 26 students earlier this year to participate in its local program.

Intern enrichment activities included visits to either the Reagan National or the Philadelphia Tower; mentorship assignments; attending a Congressional hearing and a presentation on how bills become laws; and a job fair. Other activities at the Tech Center included visits to the Air Traffic Control labs, visits to the Airport & Aircraft Safety Research & Development facilities and participation in the Aviation Enrichment Mini-Symposium (AEMS).

The experiences the interns gained at both locations, the motivation provided, the varied selection of assignments, and the opportunity to include such experiences on a personal resume are invaluable to students as they prepare for the transition from school to work.