Professional Internship Program
The University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Professional Internship Program offers students and recent graduates a professional learning experience with the unique opportunity to gain meaningful work experiences, enhance their academic and professional pursuits, and develop career readiness through on-the-job training. The program is designed to provide mentorship from industry professionals and opportunities to develop new skills and competencies. Becoming a Professional Intern is a great way to engage in career exploration and provides opportunities to build meaningful professional connections.
The Professional Internship Program consists of three Program Intern job classifications:
| Title | Grade | Minimum Job Requirements | Targeted Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Support Intern/ A2099 | 8 | Must be currently enrolled at an accredited university in a Bachelor's or higher level degree program, and are within 12 months from graduating OR a recent graduate of an accredited university with a Bachelor's or higher level degree obtained no more than 24 months prior to the date of hire; no previous experience required. | Typically targets positions in grades 9 & 10. Primary responsibilities are focused on providing support-type work. Provides students or recent graduates with opportunities to gain general experience in the workforce regardless of degree field. |
| Professional Intern/ A3099 | 9 | Must have obtained a Bachelor's or higher level degree no more than 24 months prior to the date of hire OR a recent graduate of an accredited university with a Bachelor's or higher level degree obtained no more than 24 months pri if the Bachelor’s (or higher level) degree was obtained more than 24 months prior to the date of hire, the individual must be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s (or higher level) degree program; no previous work experience required. | Typically targets positions in grades 10 & 11. Primary responsibilities are focused on providing professional-level work. Provides recent graduates with opportunities to gain experience in their degree field. |
| Professional Intern/Technical/ F3099 | 10 | Must have obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree or higher level of Science degree, related to the work to be completed, no more than 24 months prior to the date of hire OR if the Bachelor’s of Science (or higher level) degree was obtained more than 24 months prior to the date of hire, the individual must be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s (or higher) degree program; no previous experience required. | Typically targets positions in grades 11 & 12. Primary responsibilities are focused on technical positions in applied engineering or other advanced technical fields. Provides recent graduates with opportunities to gain experience in their degree field. |
The program is a department-driven process and can be used to formally progress a student or recent graduate from a Professional Intern job series to a lateral or higher-level staff position upon successful program completion. Professional Interns will be employed with the University as term employees, typically no less than 6 months and no more than 2 years, at which time, they will be placed into the targeted staff position OR if the department does not have a business need for a targeted position, the term employment will end. Professional Interns are not guaranteed a regular position at the end of their internship. However, with the new skills they obtained, Professional Interns can competitively apply for positions they are now qualified for.
Hiring and Internship Development Plan (IDP)
Once the department has identified a need to hire a position within the Professional Intern series, the department will need to complete the Internship Development Plan (IDP) form. The following must occur at the onset of the hiring. Departments must:
- Identify if the Professional Intern position is:
- available for placement into a regular staff position at the time of completion, OR
- only intended to remain in a term position for the duration of the program, at which time the term employment will end.
- Identify a target position in which the Professional Intern will be developing skills towards.
- Complete an IDP. The IDP should:
- outline the expectations and responsibilities during the internship, and
- focus on developing the Professional Intern and providing mentorship opportunities throughout the program.
- Submit a requisition for posting in UNMJobs
- Attach the completed IDP form to the requisition.
- Provide a justification if requesting to post non-competitively; the non-competitive justification must identify and support requests for intended placements into a regular staff position.
- Save a copy of the IDP which will be used when placing the intern into a regular staff position at completion of the program. (see Placement into the Targeted Position below)
- Obtain the selected Professional Interns signature on the IDP at the time of hire.
The duration of the IDP is typically no less than 6 months and no more than 2 years. The actual length of time needed to complete the IDP depends on the time it takes the Professional Intern to attain the minimum qualifications of the targeted position, if applicable. By the completion of the IDP, the Professional Intern should have gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the classification, as well as the ability to demonstrate competency in the key duties and responsibilities of the classification.
Note Regarding Non-Competitive Hires: Most Professional Intern positions should be filled through competitive recruitment. In limited cases, a Professional Intern may be placed into the targeted position without competitive recruitment. Departments must justify the non-competitive placement into the targeted position within the IDP. For non-competitive placement into the targeted position, preference is given to UNM students or recent graduates and allowed in the following circumstances:
- UNM students or recent graduates who were originally competitively hired into a similar role as a student employee.
- UNM student or recent graduate who has performed similar duties in a student employment capacity or as part of degree program requirements.
- Other limited circumstances approved in advance by HR.
See University Administrative Policies (UAP) #3260, Career Development, Section 6
Placement into the Targeted Position
The following preconditions must be met:
- The department must have a genuine business need for the targeted position;
- The Professional Intern must demonstrate the potential to perform the primary duties and responsibilities of the position successfully;
- The Professional Intern must meet the minimum requirements of the targeted position upon completion of the career ladder;
- The department has been free of layoffs in similar classifications at the same grade as the targeted position for the past 12 months; and
- The targeted position does not exceed 2 grades above the Professional Intern’s grade.
Upon completion of the IDP, the manager must:
- Complete and sign section VI of the IDP form indicating how the IDP was met.
- Obtain the appropriate signatures required on the IDP form.
- Submit the completed IDP and SPET grid to HR for review and approval.
Placement will occur via a career ladder.
Salary Determination and Internal Equity
At the department's discretion, an intern may receive a salary adjustment upon completion of the IDP. Please refer to the Salary Determination and Internal Equity for Staff Employees Guidelines for guidance on pay increases and internal equity reviews.
For bargaining unit employees please refer to the appropriate union bargaining agreement.