November is International Role Models month, a chance to celebrate the people you look up to in your life and all their accomplishments. As a local government intern, I have a great deal of respect for all the other local government interns, as I know that they are taking the time to develop their professional skills to have a positive impact on the lives of those around them. In their honor, and for their benefit, I have compiled a list of resources from the Knowledge Network that highlight effective internship and fellowship programs, and offer advice for current interns.
- “Getting Experience:” Internships are a perfect setting for developing new skills or testing the waters on a new career path.
- A recent user-generated discussion highlights some of the finer distinctions between an internship and a fellowship.
- ICMA recently reworked its guidebook for local governments on internships to help local government managers and MPA programs work together to develop meaningful internship opportunities that benefit both the student and the local government.
- “Volunteer Internships Benefit Local Governments and Students,” by Robin Popkin, provides some tips to help get an internship program started, along with some reasoning to help get local officials on board with the idea.
- Read through PM’s “Wittenberg Local Government Management Internship Program” for an in-depth look at the implementation of a local management internship. (Read the case study here.)
- For information on marketing your open internships, check out the responses to Gregory Stopka’s question on the matter.
- Local government is full of internships and fellowships, as we can see on the ICMA Find Internships and Fellowships page.
- Current interns and fellows interested in educating themselves on job prospects in the management profession would do well to consult the ICMA Find a Job board.
Please share your internship-related thoughts in the comment section below. For the best advice on employee relations, professional or volunteer, check out the professional and personal development topic page on the Knowledge Network.
Aloha,
James Davidson
ICMA's Knowledge Network Intern
jdavidson@icma.org
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