In partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), APTA is piloting an international internship for summer 2010. The internship will offer international graduate students and recent grads placement with an APTA business member for the duration of the summer (approximately 12-15 weeks), 1 week orientation/training in Washington, D.C., and participation in APTA’s sustainability conference.
The goal of this program is for international students to spend the summer learning and working in the U.S. industry, so they return home with knowledge of the industry and personal relations to call upon when the opportunity presents. Also, through peripheral activities, students will have an opportunity to improve their knowledge of program management, associations, ethics, and public transport in general. At the conclusion of a successful year, we will evaluate the potential for expansion of the program.
Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has agreed to partner with us in our pilot year. At this point in the process, we are seeking APTA businesses members who are interested in the program to submit an application to host an intern. Please return the application to Jessica Bechir at jbechir@apta.com by October 30. We will have a limited number of interns in our pilot year, so applications will be accepted on a first-come, first served basis.
Elements of the program
- Emphasis on countries with emerging economies
- Interns will participate in APTA’s sustainability conference to gain a broader understanding of the industry
- Cooperation with universities in order for the students to receive credit, when possible
- Businesses allocate one of their “typical” internships to this program, so no additional budget burden
- APTA does promotion and administrative work
- All interns would be paid equally (approximately $15-$20/hour), depending on input from businesses
- Housing would be arranged and paid for by the hosting businesses
Sample Program:
- May 31- June 4- Week long orientation/training in Washington, DC (APTA, FTA, WMATA, ETC)
- June 5- Interns travel to city of host organization
- June 6- Sept. 3 Interns work at host organization with 1 week travel to APTA Sustainability Conference
- Late July- Interns travel to Sustainability Conference for 3-4 days
- Sept. 4- Interns finish internship/fly home