Paid Construction Industry Internships Available

If you are a college student in a field such as construction management, construction engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering or industrial technology and are interested in a career in industrial and commercial construction, a summer or winter internship at Carl A. Nelson & Company will enable you to expand your education beyond the classroom.

Our interns do meaningful work in the field and in the office — and they get paid for doing it. Construction management and other A/E/C internships are available in our offices in Burlington and Cedar Falls. Field leadership interns work on CANCO jobsites.

Students in two-year and four-year programs are eligible.

Experiences for interns will differ depending on career path and available work. Regardless of whether the intern plans to go the project manager or superintendent route, we feel it’s important for all employees to get a fundamental hands-on knowledge of building construction. Some things a college intern can expect from a summer or winter break with CANCO would be:

• Hands-on experience working with tools on commercial/industrial projects;
• Working side-by-side with skilled craftsmen/women to better understand the specifics of building;
• Opportunity to spend time with a Superintendent/Project Manager to see first-hand what their jobs entail;
• Witness the responsibilities of a general contractor including interaction with owners, subcontractors and suppliers;
• Introduction to construction technology and how modern job sites are operated;
• A potential for on-site or in-office work.

Carl A. Nelson & Company frequently welcomes Project Management and Field Supervisory interns from:

• Iowa State University, Construction Engineering
• University of Northern Iowa, Construction Management
• Western Illinois University, Construction Management
• Kirkwood Community College, Construction Management
• Hawkeye Community College, Civil and Construction Engineering Technology
• Southeastern Community College, Construction Technology, Management

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High school and non-construction internships also available

In addition to field and office internships for college students majoring in fields such as construction engineering and construction management, Carl A. Nelson & Company also offers high school internships. Warehouse-based experiences are available for students who are not yet 18, while those who are 18 can go into the field to work alongside our project supervisors and craftsmen.

And although the majority of our collegiate interns have been in the engineering and construction management fields of study, we do welcome students from other majors related to aspects of the construction industry, such as accounting and business.

"I would say that my most valuable experience as a CANCO intern would have to be being thrust into a lot of projects all at once; being an intern provides a lot of useful knowledge and experience, in many different aspects of what a PM does, in a very short time period."

— Samuel D., Con E, Iowa State University

"For me, it has been as simple as sitting through meetings with subcontractors and the owners. These meetings have shown me how important being able to lead a meeting can be and giving a clear explanation of a problem to find a solution. The other lesson I have learned through the meetings is the importance of teamwork not only with people from the same company but also with people from other companies."

— Jose H., Con E, Iowa State University