The University of Florida flaunts a 70% rate for graduates who secured or planned to obtain employment in Florida. Needless to say, UF claims a colossal networking system for Gators to find jobs after they graduate. The experience and determination of Gator students in internships keep this network of Gators alive. In today’s competitive job market, the importance of an internship helps college students stand out. Now more than ever, internships help undergraduates gain experience and put the knowledge they gained in the classroom to work. These popular Gainesville internships come with all-star reviews and the most sought-after positions at rising companies. Who says internships just include making coffee runs? These internships provide students with a memorable experience through impactful work.
Read on to find companies offering the best internships in Gainesville.
10. Power Production Management
One of the leading companies in solar power, Power Production Management offers a reliable service for installing solar power to everything from your average home to your local farm. This innovative installation company creates many opportunities for local Gainesville students. Power Production Management currently holds a marketing internship for articulate students interested in managing the company’s social media and promoting the company’s website. The company offers positions to sales interns earning a degree in business.
9. Gainesville Health and Fitness
Considered the number one employer by the Gainesville City of Commerce and one of Forbes’s top small businesses in America, Gainesville Health and Fitness creates the best opportunity for anyone looking to make a career out of fitness. Gainesville Health and Fitness offers diverse equipment, spa and every training program you can think of, ranging from Pilates to CrossFit. This gym even offers a member-savings program to help members save money by providing discounts with hundreds of local businesses. Interns gain firsthand knowledge about these kinds of marketing strategies.
“Our company constantly wants to challenge each other to get better every day,” Hiring Manager at Gainesville Health and Fitness Allison Breunig said. “Interns specifically should have an eagerness to learn because we try to teach the full spectrum of how to run a business.”
Firsthand experience as an intern also includes sales, public relations, personal training and physical therapy. All interns must receive academic credit while working as an intern. Get involved with the Health and Fitness of Gainesville!
8. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Engineering majors understand the competition and rigors going into their major. Kimley-Horn and Associates offers the same level of commitment as an intern at a premier engineering firm. A top company to work for, Kimley-Horn gives interns a chance to look into the world of an analyst through mentor programs and technical training in roadway design and transportation planning. Gaining interactions with project managers and projects sets students up for the world of engineering. Kimley-Horn and Associates look for determined UF students of junior or senior standing.
7. Eighth Judicial Circuit
For students hoping to pursue a career in law or looking to serve everyday people in their fight for justice, the Eight Judicial Circuit looks for interns. Stacy A. Scott, Public Defender in the Eight Judicial Circuit of Florida, hopes to find determined candidates to help defend average citizens charged with various crimes. Confidentiality and professionalism must define possible interns as they help file records of cases, keep time sheets, attend meetings and assist legal professionals in any needed task. This opportunity offers students a glimpse into the nitty gritty of a law career as a public defender.
6. NCCER
The National Center for Construction Education and Research works as a nonprofit in the construction sector, educating future workers like welders and electricians. The marketing team in NCCR provides opportunities for graphic design marketing or related majors. This high tempo position exposes interns to producing brochures, flyers and advertisements through Photoshop or Illustrator. Working to build the future of the construction sector looks great on any resume.
5. Center for Arts and Medicine
The Center for Arts and Medicine takes an interdisciplinary approach to health care by working in UF medical programs such as the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital. The program works with students from the College of the Arts and Health Sciences to provide creativity in a health care setting. The Center for Arts and Medicine recognizes the importance of art, creative writing and performance art in the well-being of patients, family members and caregivers in a medical facility. Current graduates or students pursuing a master’s degree commit to at least 20 hours a week during a given summer, fall or spring semester. If you are interested in the arts or pursuing a medical career, internships at the Center for Arts and Medicine allow rolling applications.
4. AmWINS Group Inc.
The leading insurance company offers internships to hard-working students in the Gainesville area. AmWINS Group’s subsidiary company, The Flood Insurance Agency (TFIA), helps students looking for experience underwriting, which is the process of determining the profit if the insurance company needs to risk providing coverage to a client. The company expects quick paced interns but provides leadership opportunities and chances to interact with real insurance agents and clients. Any business, accounting or finance major needs to check out the AmWINS’ website for more information.
3. Nature Coast Biological Station
The University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences teamed up with the Nature Coast Biological Station, a program dedicated to environmental conservation and research into Florida’s northern Gulf Coast marshes and estuaries. While any major can apply, students in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences are encouraged to. Interns receive a wide range of experience during these summer internships, from snorkeling to collecting seagrass samples or researching tufted titmouse communications.
“The idea of these internships is to give undergraduate students a hands on experience in the fields of natural resource sciences, fisheries, forsterites, wildlife, habitat restoration, aquaculture,” Nature Coast Biological Station’s Director Mike Allen said. “We pair interns with hosts that are faculty at the college or state and federal agency partners. The interns work for six weeks in a lab or in the field or in a area where people are solving natural resource problems.”
This internship takes hands-on experience to a whole new level. If you’re passionate about the environment, this internship opportunity awaits your application.
2. United Way North Central Florida ReadingPals
United Way North Central Florida ReadingPals hopes to find internships great with kids by this summer of 2021. As a part of the nonprofit organization focused on giving children the necessary resources for education and health, college students help children with reading disabilities gain a passion for reading. Interns manage website design and lead other volunteers helping children between first and third grade.
“Typically, our interns have served as site coordinators,” ReadingPals Coordinator Rahkiah Brown said. “What the students would do is be onsite at the after-school center, where we would have reading pals taking place. They would welcome volunteers, they would coordinate volunteers and have a really engaging experience.”
The position requires interns to work 10 to 15 hours a week over a semester with a drive to inspire children. Currently, the program cannot take on interns because of COVID-19 precautions, but the organization plans on taking interns this summer. This position works perfectly with students studying psychology, education or community sciences.
1. UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Center for Land Use Efficiency
The UF IFAS provides students with backgrounds in video production the opportunities to help edit and manage the organization’s YouTube channel and educational videos. Center for Land Use Efficiency (CLUE) falls under UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to work on eco-friendly programs such as Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program and Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program to create more sustainable agricultural practices. Any student interested in the position must provide video production experience and an understanding of YouTube channel management. The position requires eight to 10 hours of work per week where interns help promote a better future for the environment.
