TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 76th Software Maintenance Group is growing its summer internship program as a small but effective way to help fill hundreds of new electrical engineering and computer scientist jobs in the next few years.
The group is hosting 30 electrical engineering and computer scientist student interns this summer, which is double the size of its first intern class last year. The over 900-member organization hopes to boost that number next year to 40 or more.
“We have such a high hiring need and our goal with this program is to meet our normal attrition rate, which is about 40 to 50 scientists and engineers a year,” said Justin Thomas, acting supervisor of the 76th SMXG organizational development section. “We added more than 180 engineers last year, and we’re projecting to grow at that rate each fiscal year. The internship program will help us identify the best and the brightest, and we hope to retain all of them upon graduation.”
The majority of interns are undergraduates studying electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science. They spend eight to 10 weeks rotating through SMXG’s five squadrons, touring various sites on base, meeting Tinker senior leaders and attending a series of lectures and workshops. The interns also participate in local science, technology, engineering and math outreach activities.
The rotational training program is a key part of the learning experience for first-year interns. Interns are trained by technical experts from each squadron and assigned various individual and team projects that closely resemble the work SMXG engineers and scientists perform on a daily basis. Interns are introduced to Test Program Set development, exposed to the agile scrum software development methodology, and familiarized with various programming languages such as C++, Java and ADA.
University of Arkansas junior Pearson Wade said he was impressed by the career options in government service.
“You have the ability to do something for five years, the project ends, and then you can move on,” Mr. Wade said. “There is a lot flexibility as far as personnel and moving people around that gives you opportunities to grow and move up into leadership roles.”
During the summer, the squadrons will evaluate each student and give them feedback. After the first summer experience with SMXG, interns are placed into teams that fit their skill sets. If they’re nearing graduation, SMXG allows them to interview for a full-time job.
“It’s a great opportunity, and I’ve gotten a lot of feedback that they really enjoy it,” said Matthew Morris, an SMXG electronics engineer and the summer internship coordinator. “They get to put a lot of the things they’ve learned into practice, and they actually learn a few things they haven’t seen yet.”
Gabbrieal Madkins, SMXG’s recruiting coordinator, said the internship program is designed to give Tinker an edge in the strong competition for top graduates. Other Air Force Sustainment Center organizations could benefit from starting a similar program, Ms. Madkins said.
“We’re actually looking to double the size of our group over the next few years,” Ms. Madkins said. “We’re doing a lot of hiring, and that’s one reason why we’re ramping up the internship program so much.”
This summer’s interns hail from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa and Penn State.
Applying for SMXG internships
Students interested in next year’s SMXG internships can apply through USAJOBS.gov under the Pathways Internship Program. The opportunities will be posted around the end of this year.
Prospects can also send their resume and transcripts anytime to secareers@tinker.af.mil. They’ll be notified via email when internships or full-time jobs become available.