With Who: Charleston County Building Inspection Services
Location: Charleston, SC
Dates: Summer 2020
Position Summary: (This is a paid internship.) Charleston County Building Inspection Services Department has 2 graduate student intern positions available this summer. These positions will be full time, typically Monday through Friday (8am to 5pm), but we are open to a flexible work schedule. The department can provide the students with tuition reimbursement (potentially including out of state tuition) or can be paid by an hourly rate.
This summer, interns will be working on several large comprehensive projects including but not limited to:
- Grant Implementation – the county is currently working on finishing two existing grants and starting two upcoming grants that are currently in the application process. These grants are related to the Project Impact program mentioned below. The existing grants pertain to implementation of new brochures and public outreach efforts. The new grants focus on TV ads for public information and organization of an expo. We will be hosting/ planning the entire event, which will require event planning and management, acquiring public speakers, securing a venue, planning space within venue, etc. New potential grants will be researched as well.
- Project Impact – Community Outreach projects and disaster awareness expos. Work on updating brochures, attend expos, expand community awareness on natural hazards and participate in creating digital awareness (i.e. TV segments) are a few of the areas of focus.
- Charleston Area Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) update – which examines the county’s vulnerability to certain hazards and documents efforts to improve resiliency. Intern(s) will be working with 31 governments and non-governmental jurisdictions on the update.
- The Community Rating System (CRS) – This program provides discounts on flood insurance premiums for communities that exceed minimum federal floodplain management standards. There are specific project needs including documenting and mapping open space in the County, analyzing structures and neighborhoods repeatedly damaged by flooding and identifying and mapping flood zones. GIS skills would be valuable.
The Department is hoping to attract students from the Public Administration, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Studies, Business Administration, Journalism or related programs. Our department is flexible with scheduling to accommodate summer courses and other commitments.
Application Deadline: Applications close on May 1st, 2020 at 2:00 pm
Apply (or request more information): Apply today! Students interested in applying should email a letter of intent and their resume to bewilliams@charlestoncounty.org with the subject ‘Summer Graduate Internship’. I’m happy to answer any of the student’s questions directly before they apply, via email or by phone at 843-202-6940. See the full internship posting on the CofC Handshake Portal.