THE POSITION

Are you looking for a paid internship? The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) offers students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a variety of fields, including engineering, science, and technology! Are you studying something else? PennDOT does more than just road construction and snow removal. We are a customer-driven service organization responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of Pennsylvania's multimodal transportation system.
 
You may be able to obtain academic credit through participation in PennDOT's internship program.  Ask your academic advisor if your college offers credit for paid internships. Join the PennDOT team as a student intern and gain valuable experience to lay the foundation for a rewarding career!

PennDOT Summer Interns enjoy opportunities in various areas of PennDOT operations. Central Office PennDOT internship opportunities will be headquartered in Harrisburg. Internships will primarily be physically located at the Keystone Building on North Street. However, they may also be located at PennDOT's Materials Laboratory on Lab Lane, or at the Bureau of Maintenance and Operations' Annex Building on Elmerton Avenue. 
 
Previous internship opportunities have been offered in PennDOT's Policy, Press, and Legislative Affairs Offices as well as in various areas within the Bureaus of Fiscal Management, Driver Licensing, and Motor Vehicles. Depending on workload demands and availability, other examples of work and special projects may be available, so apply today!

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Historically, PennDOT interns have been enrolled in the following:
 
Engineering majors: Civil, Mechanical, Architectural, Civil Structural, Hydraulic, Civil Engineering Systems, Welding, Surveying, Industrial, Materials, Aerospace, OR any engineering discipline with anticipation of obtaining 24 credits in Civil Engineering or Engineering Technology.
 
Engineering Technology majors: Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical, Architectural, Structural, Contracting Building and Construction, Electrical, or Electronics.  Majors in career studies with anticipation of obtaining at least 12 credit hours in Drafting, Design, Surveying, and other related courses are also acceptable.
 

• Highway Delivery – assist in the administration of consultant design engineering agreements; historic preservation initiative research; grade crossing and utility relocation support efforts; and the cataloging of pavement designs.
• Bridge Design – participate in the review of foundation studies, light pole submissions, standards and publication updates, research studies, and software testing; as well as contribute to the engineering review of shop drawings and materials test results.
• Construction and Materials – gain experience in the testing of various materials, such as steel, asphalt, aggregates, and soils, utilized statewide in PennDOT construction projects; maintaining and troubleshooting materials testing equipment; and receiving and storing materials samples.
• Highway Safety and Traffic Operations – assist in the gathering of data and preparation of various types of traffic engineering and safety studies. This could entail work in a variety of traffic engineering disciplines such as signals, signs, intelligent transportation systems and safety. Principals from the Highway Capacity Manual, Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and the Highway Safety Manual would all apply to this type of work. In addition to these principals, the utilization of crash diagrams to assess safety would be a component of most traffic engineering studies.
• Asset Management – assist in Systematic Technique to Analyze and Manage Pennsylvania Pavement (STAMPP) data collection and quality assurance review efforts to support Department maintenance decisions and activities; and participate in bridge inspection and pavement management data collection, review, and correction.

Non-engineering majors: Accounting, Information Systems Technology/Computer Science, Geographic Information Systems, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Public Policy/Administration, Business Administration/Management, Planning, etc.
 

• Information Technology – gain practical knowledge associated with personal computer refresh preparation; assist in verifying software compliance; participate in hardware/software installations and de-installations at various field sites; provide help desk support and answer help desk telephone calls; assist in operating system upgrades for iPads and iPhones; surplus old information technology hardware and ensure the appropriate system tracking of inventory; provide mobile support for cell phones, smartphones, and iPads; and assist in Microsoft Office 365 support efforts.
• Planning and Research – participate in local road verification efforts and assist in data collection activities for geographic information system related initiatives.
• Multimodal – support various multimodal initiatives, including those associated with aviation, public transportation, ports, rail freight, and bicycle/pedestrian transportation methods; track qualitative and quantitative work items for airport projects; complete data mining activities for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs; perform preliminary reviews of consultant completed engineering work executed under existing work orders; assist in the preparation of FAA documentation; participate in the analysis of financial comparison spreadsheets and compliance review of federal fund usage; validate the quality of Capital Planning Tool entries; assist in public transit agency site reviews; complete cursory reviews of public transit agency maintenance plans and provide feedback associated with transit agency performance reviews; support project management and development activities for rail ventures; assist in the review of existing regional and county master bike route plans; and update current and historic cost data for rail construction items.
• Fiscal Services – gain experience in the creation and update of fiscal services templates utilized for revenue collections, systems input, bank reconciliations, and payment card reconciliations; review system generated accounting reports; and assist with refund research, general fiscal transaction and fee accounting processing.