Undergraduate and graduate students seeking municipal work experience soon will have the opportunity to apply for paid summer internships through the City of Michigan City’s Government Leadership Program Internship Pilot.
Interested students are invited to attend the Michigan City Government Leadership Program Fair in the Emergency Operations Center on the lower level of City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd., between 12-4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13.
“Our goal is to introduce students to careers in local government,” Director of Education and Workforce Development Kila Ward said. “Project submissions from our department leaders are evaluated for opportunities for the interns to develop professionally and engage within municipal settings. Each project must demonstrate a tangible benefit to the municipality, while also supporting the personal and professional growth of the students.”
The internship projects developed by each City department are meant to provide interns with meaningful part-time employment (20-35 hours weekly) for a period of 8-10 weeks between May and August. The starting pay for undergrad students is $17 hourly and $19 hourly for grad students.
Those who are accepted into the Government Leadership Program will complete a comprehensive orientation and job and leadership training, as well as meet one-on-one with department leaders each week and with the mayor at the midway point.
Each intern must prepare a project video or written summary documenting his or her project; and all students will undergo performance evaluations at the midpoint and end of the internship.
Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch, who successfully petitioned the Michigan City Common Council for $175,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars over two years for the Government Leadership Program, anticipates the City will be able to fund approximately 25 projects during the 2024 session.
Students can apply to work on projects designed to teach financial management, engineering, human resources, asset mapping, development of geographic information systems, comprehensive planning, urban planning, event planning, economic development, capital improvement planning, code enforcement, community engagement, sanitation and refuse, transportation, information technology, project management, social media campaigns, and work in the mayor’s and clerk’s offices.
“Thank you to the Common Council for their support of such an innovative opportunity,” the mayor said. “It will positively impact the city to have an internship program based on problem-solving and supporting directives in our departments.
“It will be a cost savings for the city, and allow us to recruit talent from throughout the region for the future. It will also allow our students from Michigan City and La Porte County to come home, have a meaningful job experience, and enhance customer service for our residents.”
For more information on the Government Leadership Program Intern Pilot and accompanying internship fair, contact Director of Education and Workforce Development Director Kila Ward at kward@emichigancity.com.