Read.Watch.Listen. How to Train Your Intern!
- SE3 Committee
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
May 2026 Issue
A monthly forum to share diversity, equity, and inclusion resources.
Welcome to the next installment of Read.Watch.Listen. As we approach the end of the school year, students across the country will be seeking and entering summer internships at structural engineering firms of all sizes. Internships are an opportunity for students to gain invaluable real-world work and design experience, and they are an equally valuable opportunity for firms to market themselves and seek out the best and brightest of talent entering the industry. This month’s resources provide insight and recommendations for both students and firms to ensure that each gets the best possible outcome of their internship program experience.
Image via Magnific
How to Build A Successful Internship Program - ASCE
This recent article from the American Society of Civil Engineers outlines what separates a good internship program from a truly impactful one: intentional structure, meaningful work, and strong mentorship. The takeaway is that internships should be treated as an investment, not a checkbox, giving students real project exposure while helping firms evaluate and develop future hires. When done right, these programs not only strengthen technical skills but also foster communication, culture fit, and long-term retention in a highly competitive talent market. Take a few minutes to read the full article and consider how you can elevate your internship program this summer.
Published March 2026; Estimated Read Time - 10 minutes
How to Get the Most Out of Your Engineering Internship - Engineering Management Institute
In this episode of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, host Jeff Perry interviews Sam Lamontanaro, the Director of Engineering at Aufgang Architects, LLC. Their conversation revolves around the internship experience at engineering companies, what companies should strive to provide for interns and how interns can benefit from the internship experience. Aufgang’s approach to summer interns is to cultivate a long term relationship with their interns. Sam talks about the importance of incorporating fieldwork, and connecting an intern directly with a senior level employee to build a mentoring relationship. Through internships, students can build their practical sense based on their academic knowledge and how it is applied in the real world. Jeff and Sam also talk about how an internship can be a way to “test drive” a company, industry sector, etc. Watch the full interview for more advice about hosting interns or being an intern!
Originally aired September 2023; 00:26:44
How To Guarantee a Great Internship Experience – The Engineering Career Coach Podcast
This podcast episode, provided by the Engineering Management Institute, addresses the importance of developing a fulfilling and well-structured internship program at your firm. It is critical, notes longtime engineering manager and intern supervisor Robert Khoury, to ensure that the intern feels respected, valued, and supported during their time at a company. Engaged managers should provide regular feedback, and metrics for success must be consistent and well-communicated. Successful internship programs often create opportunities to hire the intern as a full time employee, bypassing expensive and time consuming searches and screening, and resulting in tried-and-true new hires who can hit the ground running from day one. By ensuring that the internship process is consistent and intentional, companies can count on smooth onboarding, valuable and productive internship periods, establish career pipelines, and cultivate an enduring positive public perception of the organization.
Originally published March 2024; 00:29:12
This article was originally published in the NCSEA's Structural Connection newsletter.
Read.Watch.Listen is a monthly forum hosted by the NCSEA SE3 Committee to share and promote conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion within the structural engineering profession. Each month, we will curate a series of articles, audio-visual and digital media to facilitate self-education in matters that affect our professional practice as structural engineers. Whether you choose to read, watch, or listen (or all three!), we hope you will join us in this important conversation. Missed the previous issue? Check out the NCSEA SE3 Committee News and Publication page.
Share your thoughts and/or recommended resources for the next issue at ncsea@ncsea.com.