Internship Location: Madison WI
Organization Type: State Government
Policy Areas: Labor Policy
Interning with the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has been incredibly rewarding. I learned about a variety of different divisions and offices with in DWD, as well as what DWD does. DWD is responsible for providing services to Wisconsin workers, employers, and jobseekers to meet Wisconsin’s workforce needs. They primarily focus on up-skilling Wisconsin’s workforce and keeping unemployment levels low. In this role, I learned more about state government operations as a whole. I worked on research projects that examined other state’s workforce development practices to see if we can adopt them in Wisconsin. I analyzed different federal statutes to ensure Wisconsin was in compliance with them. During my time in this role, I worked on a plethora of different projects and was able to get a taste at a variety of different things DWD does. Overall, I was surprised at all the different things this agency does for the State of Wisconsin. Until I applied for my position, I did not know it existed. I highly recommend working for this agency. First, the work this agency conducts is incredibly valuable, and it is rewarding to have impacted some of the work they have done. Second, everyone I encountered at DWD is incredibly happy and proud of the work they do. This is rare to come by, and it made me feel proud to work there as well! This internship shaped the way I view labor policy in our state, and this would be an agency I would be happy to continue working at full-time upon graduation.