November 12, 2026
Building the Builders: The Case for Treating Internships as the Foundation of a Well-Rounded Education
Article by Zakiya Usinosantiago, Talent Acquisition Specialist / Intern Program Manager
During the opening session at a recent industry conference, Cassandra Worthy explained the workforce phenomenon: “Change has changed. It has cost us $9 trillion to reengage the workforce. When companies are going through growth, disengagement increases. We need to continue investing in our workforce to make our change endeavors successful.”
So how do we engage the right workforce from the start, keep them intrigued as they learn, and develop them into the builders of tomorrow?
I hear the phrase “well-rounded education” a lot in the recruiting world. And, in rail and transit construction, a well-rounded professional needs exposure to all stages of the work, starting with programming and funding and ending with asset management, while learning to manage teams, schedules, and projects along the way.
To create that well-rounded employee, we like to take the office engineer into the field and give the field engineer exposure to the office environment. Understanding how work is constructed leads to more constructible designs, while understanding design intent gives field teams greater perspective on what they are building and why.
What’s essential is allowing the candidate, whether an intern or entry-level engineer-in-training, to understand the value of seeing both sides. For a recruiter, that early exposure also gives us an opportunity to understand where a candidate’s interests, strengths, and potential may fit within the organization.
The well-rounded approach already appears throughout education. Many universities require engineering undergraduates to take courses in economics, humanities, and foreign languages. While I’ve sometimes questioned the prerequisites and requirements needed to graduate, I understand why they matter. The professional world requires both subject-matter expertise and a well-rounded perspective. Internships provide one of the strongest opportunities to put that idea into practice.
Rather than asking candidates to choose a career path based primarily on what they have learned in a classroom, internships allow them to experience the work, the people, and the environment firsthand. At the same time, employers have an opportunity to get to know candidates over an entire internship instead of relying on a handful of interviews.
Internships are one of the most effective ways to build a future workforce because they give both the employer and the candidate time to determine whether the fit is right. Candidates learn what the work actually requires, and employers see how those candidates communicate, solve problems, respond to feedback, and work as part of a team.
Over the last five years, we have extended full-time job offers to approximately 72 percent of our interns, making internships one of our strongest recruiting pipelines for entry-level talent. Of those interns receiving offers, about 90 percent accept, demonstrating the value of creating meaningful connections with candidates before they enter the workforce full time.
Last summer, we had one of our largest internship programs, with 52 interns working across the country in estimating, systems, communications, field engineering, and other disciplines. That range of experiences gives interns a broader view of the opportunities available to them while giving our teams an opportunity to identify and develop future talent.
Rather than thinking of an internship as a summer spot, we turn that mindset into a stepping stone – one towards understanding the career they could build.
Our commitment to developing the next generation of builders extends beyond our internship program. Initiatives like APTA’s National Transit Career Day help raise awareness of the wide range of career opportunities in transportation, give emerging professionals hands-on exposure across disciplines, and reinforce the importance of building a strong workforce for the future.
That philosophy also aligns with our broader recruiting approach of working with schools, workforce boards, and community organizations to create real paths into the industry and prepare people for what comes next.
With many construction firms struggling to find people with the technical knowledge, practical experience, and perspective their projects require, developing talent early through internships has become a strategic workforce solution. Instead of waiting until we have an open position to begin looking for the right person, internships allow us to start building that relationship much earlier.
Ultimately, strong internship conversion rates tell only part of the story. The greater value comes from giving emerging professionals enough exposure to understand our industry, enough experience to discover where they fit, and enough opportunity to envision a future here.
If we want to recruit well-rounded builders tomorrow, we have to give them a well-rounded view of the industry today. Internships are one of the best places to start.