Internship Opportunities

The Department of Community and Economic Development continually seeks talented college students for internship positions throughout the year.  DCED internships are designed as educational work experiences which can be applied later in their professional careers.  Internships can be either unpaid or paid depending upon the availability of funds and needs. To participate in the program, students must complete the appropriate application, be in good academic standing and be enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college which offers a degree and preferably be a Pennsylvania resident. Interested students should follow these instructions to become part of the team:

Students have these aspects to consider:

  • Job responsibilities directly related to your field of study;
  • Experience that can be used upon graduation when seeking full-time employment; and
  • Gaining insight into state government employment; and
  • A career with growth potential.

DCED uses four classifications of Interns - Government Service Interns (GSI), Engineering, Scientific and Technical Interns (ESTI), Information Technology (IT) and Legal.

Government Services Intern

Provides college students with valuable 'Para-professional' work experience in one of the following curricula appropriate to the positions in areas such as: Community Development, Community Planning, Community Sociology, Communications, Economics, Film, Finance, International Business, Marketing, Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, and Tourism.

To Apply for the GSI: Complete a Non-Civil Service Commonwealth Employment Personal Data Sheet and attach resume. Return your completed Personal Data Sheet and resume to the Bureau of State Employment at the address specified on the Personal Data Sheet. The Bureau of State Employment refers candidates for GSI positions to DCED and other state agencies. Students referred to DCED will be asked to provide a recent transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable).  Please visit http://www.bse.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt

Engineering Scientific and Technical Intern (Paid & Unpaid)

The internship provides college students with an educational work experience to expand upon in the dynamic Information Technology arena. Students will gain a working knowledge of the help-desk environment utilizing active directories, creating user ID’s, resetting passwords, unlocking accounts, joining computers to the CWOPA domain, troubleshoot computer problems, loading desktop and laptop computers with the OS Image and Update computers with patches and hot fixes.

Qualified candidates must possess this experience and training: a working knowledge of Microsoft Operating Systems and products; knowledge of software installation procedures and printers and printer drivers; knowledge computer setup and adapt with the email application.

To Apply for the ESTI: Complete a Non-Civil Service Commonwealth Employment Personal Data Sheet and attach resume. Return your completed Personal Data Sheet and resume to Department of Community and Economic Development, Human Resources Center, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120 or by email to  ra-dcedhumanresources@state.pa.us. Students will be asked to provide a recent college transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable).  

Additional Internship Opportunities

Visit the Office of Administration’s website: 

Candidates who have earned a master's degree in any field of study are eligible. Please visit: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1098&&SortOrder=4&level=4&parentid=1122&css=L4&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true

New Law School Graduates interested in entry-level opportunities should visit: www.ogc.state.pa.us.