The City of Palm Coast’s summer intern program is more than just a job – it’s an experience. From day one, City interns are encouraged to take initiative in their own projects, network with professionals, work hands-on in their career field, and make a difference in the community.
“Interns at the City of Palm Coast are not just here to observe,” City Manager Denise Bevan said. “They are active members of the team. From the first day, they are given a project and the resources needed to complete it. They work alongside the Executive Team and various departments to complete their project. Not only is a great introduction to a career for them during their college experience, but it also opens up the minds of our current City staff to new perspectives, ideas, and input.”
The City of Palm Coast has a summer internship program each year for college students seeking real-world experience in a variety of departments throughout the City. These are paid internships at $14.28 per hour. For the 2022 summer, the City hosted eight students who worked in the areas of Human Resources, Public Works, Information Technology, Parks and Recreation, and the City Manager’s Office.
Each individual intern was given a task or project specific to their assigned department. In addition to their individual projects, all of the interns this year worked on a joint project to help our Human Resources Department recruit and retain the next generation of employees. They examined and researched which perks or benefits would entice that generation to come to work at the City of Palm Coast. The project was then presented to the Executive Team and Human Resources.
Some areas of recommendation identified through the project included the organization offering livable wages to employees, creating an opportunity for work-life balance, and developing collaborative work environments.
The City’s Communications & Marketing team met with each of the eight interns to learn more about their experiences. A brief video of these interviews can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/O-Ssd7ux6Ww.
City Manager Intern Lovie Haley said, “I definitely would recommend an internship with the City of Palm Coast. I’ve had an amazing time here, amazing people, and it’s a really great opportunity.”
Kurstan Middlebrook, who interned with the Parks and Recreation Department explained a new skill he learned. “My internship focuses more so on the special events portion of the city. I’ve learned how to become a faster-paced problem solver.”
Vanessa Sanabria interned with Information Technology, specifically in the Research and Development Division. “My favorite project was being able to work on the website. I was able to really use the skills that I’ve been learning in school to help design the City website pages.”
Public Works Intern Natalia Kurdziel added, “I’ve learned a lot, but I think the coolest thing I’ve learned is how the City works behind the scenes, how all the different departments really work together to get the City to run and grow, which I think is really cool since I grew up here.”
The City of Palm Coast encourages summer interns to apply for any job openings in their career fields to further their experience with local municipal government. Four current employees working for the City of Palm Coast had previously spent time here as an intern during their college career.
Summer internship opportunities are announced after the start of the new year to give students time to apply and make plans to spend their summer in Palm Coast. Find out more by visiting https://www.palmcoast.gov/human-resources
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