New High School Internship Seeks to Increase Inclusion in Engineering
Youth in the City of Milwaukee with an interest in engineering and architecture can learn from experts in the field and earn a summer wage
MILWAUKEE - The Rotational Engineering Internship is a new six-week, paid opportunity for high school students and recent graduates living in the City of Milwaukee to expand their familiarity and confidence on careers in architecture and engineering.
This internship is offered through a partnership between the City of Milwaukee Earn & Learn program, Menomonee Valley Partners, and Valley businesses, including Benesh, Christopher Kidd & Associates, EMCS, The Sigma Group, and Zimmerman Architectural Studios.
In this unique opportunity, interns will rotate between companies in the Menomonee River Valley where they will be exposed to a broad range of mentors and careers during job shadowing experiences. Each week one intern will be paired with a company for up to 20 hours, Monday – Thursday. On Friday, interns will participate in work study programming including employability skills, financial literacy, or enrichment activities. Interns will also complete a project documenting their experience.
“The Rotational Engineering Internship is one more way that Menomonee Valley Partners is connecting residents in nearby neighborhoods to careers in the Menomonee River Valley,” said Catrina Crane, Director of Workforce Development and Business Solutions for Menomonee Valley Partners. “MVP worked with small- to medium-sized Valley businesses to create this unique program to help address racial disparities in STEM-related industries and give youth in Milwaukee another avenue to put these careers within reach.”
Racial disparities within STEM-related industries is a well known fact and is a barrier for youth to enter these careers. A detailed study conducted by the National Science Foundation revealed that 49% of persons in STEM fields are white males. Women, Black Americans, Native Americans, and people of Hispanic descent are highly underrepresented. Businesses in the Menomonee River Valley are seeking to provide opportunities and increase inclusion and diversity in the sector through the new Rotational Engineering Internship for current high school students and recent graduates.
To apply for the Rotational Engineering Internship, students must live in the City of Milwaukee and be a high school sophomore, junior, senior, or recent graduate. Students should have a strong interest in the engineering and architectural fields, have taken STEM-related coursework, and hold a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA.
Applications are due Thursday, June 3 and can be submitted at www.thevalleymke.org/engineering-internship. The Rotational Engineering Internship is open to students and recent graduates of all backgrounds.
Menomonee Valley Partners is a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 with a mission to revitalize and sustain the Menomonee River Valley as a thriving urban district that advances economical, ecological, and social equity for the benefit of the greater Milwaukee community. Since then, more than 50 companies have moved to or expanded in the Valley, more than 5,200 jobs have been created, 60 acres of parks and trails have been established, and 10 million people visit the Valley’s recreation and entertainment destinations each year.
