Managers: State Government Student Internship Stipend Program
Purpose
Opportunities for the Employer
Opportunities for the Student
Intern Defined
Eligibility Requirements
Academic Credit
Internship Duration
Compensation
Housing
Location
Student Interest
Application by State Agency for Internship Stipend
Vacancy Announcements
Application and Selection of Students
Sponsorship
The North Dakota State Government Student Internship Stipend Program is first and foremost an educational program integrated with practical experience. It is an opportunity for a student engaged in a specific course of study to assist an agency with a project or initiative related directly or indirectly to the student’s academic work. It is designed to provide an opportunity to gain knowledge and valuable work experience in state government. Internships can also serve to assist an agency on a temporary basis when an agency needs to fill in for a regular employee who has been deployed or is on extended sick leave for example. Some of the fields that are potentially available for student internships include accounting, agriculture, computer and web technology, corrections, engineering, human services, human resources, laboratory sciences, law, marketing, nursing, and wildlife.
The Internship provides opportunities for the employer (hiring agency) to:
- Gain a well-trained pool of potential employees
- Gain a source of professional staff
- Reduce the cost of recruiting and training professional staff
- Acquire a new source of new ideas and talent for an agency
- Generate a high retention rate because interns have already worked with the agency
- Observe a potential employee before committing to full-time regular employment of that individual
- Foster a mutually beneficial state agency/university relationship through the internship program. Agencies can have an impact on the structure of academic course work by sharing current business practice with instructors, and working cooperatively to ensure that students have the skills needed in today’s business world.
- Serve as a gateway to show students that they can achieve their career goals in ND State Government; thereby, influencing students to stay in North Dakota.
The Internship provides opportunities for the student to:
- Develop good professional work habits
- Realistically test or explore career objectives
- Achieve smoother transition into full-time employment
- Earn partial funds to support college education
- Learn while earning
- Apply classroom learning to a realistic work setting and earn academic credit
- Gain valuable work experience and professional contacts that will help in seeking employment after graduation
- Observe a potential employer and workplace before accepting full-time employment
The program is administered by Human Resource Management Services (HRMS), a division of the Office of Management and Budget.
A student intern is a person who is attending an accredited university, college or vocational/technical school and is hired by a North Dakota State Government Executive Branch agency (excluding Higher Education) into an intern position or temporary position as an intern. Student interns are not eligible for leave, holiday, health insurance, or retirement benefits. They may be discharged at any time.
To be eligible for a North Dakota State Government Student Internship, a student:
- Must be currently enrolled in an accredited college, university, or vocational-technical program in the United States, and
- Must be a current full-time student, as defined by that school, in the semester or quarter in which he/she applies for internship, and
- Must be at least of sophomore standing by the beginning of the internship (or must have completed the first year of a vocational/technical program by the beginning of the internship), and
- Must have a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Although any student in the United States meeting the above requirements may apply for internship, preference will be given to those students who are attending a college, university or vocational/technical school within North Dakota and who are North Dakota residents.
The internship must be taken for academic credit. It is the student’s responsibility to contact their school or advisor to obtain academic credit within the school’s guidelines. HRMS is available to assist the student in coordinating this requirement between the employing agency and the school.
There is no specific length of time an internship can last, although typically an internship would be 3-6 months. Exact starting and ending dates will be arranged between the intern and the hiring agency.
Internships most typically are full time, between the core hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., but can be ¾ or ½ time, depending on the agency’s plan and the student’s schedule.
All North Dakota State Government Student Internships under this stipend program are paid, and the hourly wage will be indicated on the position announcement. The wages will be paid by the hiring agency. Partial funding for intern wages may be available through HRMS.
The State of North Dakota does not provide housing to its interns, nor does the State assume any responsibility for finding intern housing.
The location of the internship will vary with each agency and position, but placement could be anywhere in North Dakota.
Students that desire internship placement may contact HRMS directly. They should have a current resume and a letter of application indicating the type of internship they are seeking. HRMS can provide guidance to the student regarding the details of the internship program, and will also forward the student’s information to those state agencies that may provide a possible match with the student’s educational background and interests.
Application by State Agency for Internship Stipend
Agencies may apply for financial assistance from the State Government Student Internship Stipend Program to help fund an intern by submitting a completed Internship Work Plan (SFN 59150) to HRMS. Internship positions are generally eligible to receive up to 50% reimbursement depending on budget availability. However, the HRMS Director may make an exception to the reimbursement amount. If requests exceed budget availability, the HRMS director may reduce the amount awarded each internship position or may provide funds based on the State’s priority or needs regarding hard to fill positions.
Agencies identifying hard to fill positions as a reason to provide intern opportunities in the agency must provide that documentation in their application for the student internship stipend when they complete the Student Internship Work Plan.
The purpose of hiring an intern is to provide the student with knowledge of and professional experience in those job duties and skills within a specific Executive Branch agency of State Government that match their collegiate background. A student intern should not be used as a mere “gopher” or to only perform basic, repetitive clerical tasks such as filing, copying, or delivering mail.
The Internship Work Plan (SFN 59150) submitted by the agency must include:
- how supervision will occur, and by whom
- the primary work the intern will be doing
- the major tasks to be performed
- knowledge and practical experience expected to be gained by the intern
- specific job duties
- how periodic and final evaluations (including an exit interview) will be performed
Funds remaining from any internship term that is not completed must be returned to the HRMS Student Internship Stipend pool, and agencies must notify HRMS in writing.
Internship Position Vacancy Announcements
Internship position vacancy announcements may be submitted to HRMS from the hiring agency. Submitted position vacancy announcements will be posted on the HRMS Job Vacancy Index webpage and will also be forwarded to the placement offices of the State’s colleges, universities, and vocational/technical schools.
All internship position vacancy announcements shall contain:
- Position title
- Salary/wage
- Employment location
- Position’s minimum qualifications
- Expected duration of the internship
- How to apply
- Closing date for applications
- Statement of EEO/ADA compliance
Application and Selection of Students
Each student must complete the Internship Program Application for Employment (SFN 59151). If a student is applying for multiple internship positions, a separate application must be submitted for each internship position. Applications may be submitted to HRMS or the hiring agency. Interview and selection practices of the hiring agency will be followed and will be in accordance with non-discriminatory policies. The hiring agency will have the final decision of which, if any, intern will be hired. The hiring agency will forward the application of the successful student to HRMS.
At this time, the State of North Dakota does not sponsor international students.
