Summer Government Internships are Underway

Thirty-nine interns are taking part in the Maine Government Summer Internship Program this year. The internships are full-time for 12 weeks, with placements in ten different agencies of Maine state government and five municipal, regional, or quasi-governmental organizations. Internship topic areas range from engineering, environment, and GIS to public relations, education, law, and planning. The students are all either Maine residents or attending a college in Maine. Interns are usually third or fourth year undergraduates, while some are non-traditional, law, or graduate students. For some it is their first experience in a professional job, and others come to the internship with many professional skills. By the end of the summer students accomplish at least one major project, learn new ways they can contribute to their state, and always tell us how dedicated Maine’s state and local government workers are.

The Maine Government Summer Internship Program was established in 1967 by the 103rd Legislature “to attract and select college students with ambition and talent for temporary internships within State Government.” This year it has expanded to local and municipal government. Since 1967, more than 1730 interns have participated in the program.