Students

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An internship is a supervised work experience opportunity designed to provide structured learning and hands-on work experience for students. An internship can be specific and project based, or provide opportunities for the student to gain a multifaceted experience. And lastly, an internship can be paid or unpaid depending upon the type of internship.

Benefits of an Internship

Students are able to:

  • Explore career options related to one’s interests, values, skills, and personality.
  • Gain professional skills and self-confidence.
  • Gather insight into a particular industry or organizational culture.
  • Develop related work experience and apply classroom learning.
  • Establish connections and build a network of contacts.
  • Improve job opportunities after graduation by giving students valuable work experience/transferable skills and by developing a network of contacts with potential employers.
  • Satisfy an academic requirement.
  • Acquire skills and experiences to enhance resume.

Who is eligible to participate in an internship?

  • Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate college/university.
  • Students who sign up for an internship for credit and/or for the opportunity of acquiring experience in a particular field of study.

Getting Started

  1. Consider the skills you want to develop and what’s necessary to satisfy your academic requirements.
  2. Students may check the current Job Announcements listings and/or contact County departments directly regarding potential intern opportunities.
  3. Students need to complete an intern application, which is available on-line.
  4. Students should have answers to the following questions when considering an internship:
    • What does my school require of an internship program? How many hours do I need to satisfy my academic requirement?
    • What does the internship organization require from me as an intern?
    • What organization will provide me with the opportunity to develop these skills?

Students may be required to submit a resume to the department providing the internship opportunity. This process may vary depending on the department and type of internship available.


Types of Internships

There are two specific types of internships available:

Paid

Paid internships provide students with training, educational benefits, and work experience in the student’s field of study. The County has a Student Worker classification that was created to accommodate departments that offer paid internships.

Unpaid

Unpaid Internships provide students with training, educational benefits, and work experience in the student’s field of study without receiving any compensation from the County.

  • In order for the County to consider a student for an unpaid internship, the County must have an approved Master Student Internship Agreement with the college or university in which the student attends before the internship can begin. See this page for a current list of institutions with internship agreements.
  • The Master Student Internship Agreement must be approved by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and the college or university’s appointing authority before any student of the college or university can begin interning.
  • All unpaid County internship programs are designed to ensure compliance with the Department of Labor’s requirements.