The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is paving the way for higher education students who want to gain paid, hands-on work experience and help build a stronger future workforce.
The cabinet’s Minority Internship Program (MIP) provides professional development opportunities to minorities, women and others historically underrepresented in the transportation industry. The spring semester application deadline is Nov.15.
Designed for undergraduate and graduate students of Kentucky colleges and universities, this paid internship is offered three times a year in the summer, fall and spring to enrolled students with 30 or more credit hours earned. All majors are welcome to apply.
“Diversity at KYTC applies not only to our employees but extends to the career fields we employ,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said. “From accounting, human resources, civil engineering and more, our Cabinet’s MIP program can launch careers suited for multiple academic disciplines by providing enriching experiences for Kentucky’s promising future workforce.”
“Our Minority Internship Program offers students a great opportunity to gain valuable experience and to develop skills that will serve them for years to come,” said Melvin Bynes, executive director of the KYTC Office for Civil Rights and Small Business Development. “We’re looking for motivated individuals, with diverse backgrounds, who want to launch professional careers as interns with us.”
Interns have the opportunity to work in a variety of offices, with a wide range of specific job assignments, at KYTC headquarters in Frankfort. MIP includes mentoring, networking opportunities, hands-on work experience and exposure to transportation-related careers.
Mikeal Watson, current MIP coordinator and a 2018 MIP intern, knows firsthand how the program can help launch careers.
“When I first started working at the cabinet, my only knowledge of the transportation field was road work, and I had no idea that it included a broad network of individuals who are experts across multiple disciplines,” said Watson. “I gained real, hands-on work experience, felt like a valued member of a team, and later was hired as a full-time KYTC employee. The program is a great opportunity for students to explore career paths offered at KYTC that they may not have previously considered.”
To learn more about the program, visit transportation.ky.gov. Applicants with questions regarding the program may email Mikael.Watson@ky.gov or call 502-564-3601.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
