Blog Description

The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at UIC is the University of Illinois System's home for the study of public policy and contemporary urban challenges. We are CUPPA.

In the heart of Chicago, we offer degrees in fields of study that can change your life and change the world. CUPPA students and alumni are uniquely skilled to build and transform sustainable urban neighborhoods and communities and to address the challenges presented in the 21st century. Find our more about our Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees at cuppa.uic.edu.

Follow our student internships and student opportunities below. For post-graduation job postings head to the CUPPA Careers Blog or follow us at @CUPPACareers on Twitter.

Have a job or internship to post? Send an email with the title, location, job description, and contact information to cuppa@uic.edu.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Transportation and Bicycle Safety Intern - Village of Schaumberg

Who: Village of Schaumberg

What: The Village of Schaumburg is a thriving community of 75,936 residents located 12 miles west of O’Hare International Airport and approximately 26 miles northwest of the City of Chicago. The community is the base of the second largest concentration of retail, office and commercial activity in the state of Illinois. Of special distinction, the village was recently named one of the "Top Ten Best Places to Live" by Money Magazine, is ranked No. 5 overall in WalletHub's "Best Illinois Cities for Jobs" and, for the fifth year in a row, received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

The village employs approximately 600 employees in a variety of departments within the organization, such as police, fire, public works, engineering, finance, human resources, cultural services, community development, information technology, and transportation. Our employees work to serve the residents and strive to make Schaumburg the best community it can be.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF:

Intern - Transportation & Bicycle Safety (summer) with an online application deadline of 01/15/2020 or until 75 applicants have successfully completed the application process.

STARTING PAY RATE: $11.56 per hour.

WORK SCHEDULE: The position is for the summer months from the middle of May through the middle of August and is based on a 35-hour work week that generally consists of Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Flexibility in the scheduling is required to account for staffing at other various events over the summer including some weekend and evening hours.

Please attach as part of your application all necessary documents verifying that you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.

JOB SUMMARY:

This position mainly assumes the responsibility of educating the community on bicycle safety, promoting the 90 miles of bikeways, and evaluating the bike path and bike lanes for maintenance and repairs. Additional tasks include traffic related activities such as traffic counts, traffic studies and bicycle, pedestrian, and transit related work.

The position is for the summer months from the middle of May through the middle of August and is based on a 35-hour work week that generally consists of Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Flexibility in the scheduling is required to account for staffing at other various events over the summer including some weekend and evening hours.

JOB DUTIES:
  • Educate the community on bicycle safety and bicycle traffic laws while also assisting with the administration of bicycle safety programs and events plus distributing bicycle maps and other bicycle-related information to various locations throughout the community. 
  • Inspect the 90 miles of bike paths and lanes to evaluate the condition and maintenance needs of the system. Includes the inspection and reporting of regulatory signs that are faded, missing or tilted, deteriorated bike paths or lanes, and tree or bush obstructions encroaching into the bikeways riding area. Deficiencies will be reported to the appropriate department for maintenance and a detailed daily log of completed activities will also be completed. 
  • Participate in various bike events over the summer including Bike to Work Day, Fahrrad Tour von Schaumburg, Walk/Bike to School Day events, National Night Out, Septemberfest, Schaumburg’s Farmer’s Market, and the Schaumburg Public Library. At these events staff responsibilities include handing out information on bicycle safety, distributing bicycle and transit maps, registration of bicycles, and answering questions from the public. 
  • Manages the research and implementation of various studies as directed by the Director of Transportation, Transportation Manager, Transportation Engineer, and/or the Transportation Planner. 
  • Traffic related activities may include but are not limited to performing traffic counts, monitoring traffic signals, and conducting traffic studies. 
  • Transit related activities may include collecting and analyzing ridership and operating related statistics, performing qualitative and quantitative field tests, monitoring Schaumburg transit services including the Woodfield Trolley, Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART), Route 602 – Schaumburg Metra Feeder, plus Septemberfest Special Event Services, and distributing brochures to various locations throughout the community. 
  • Research, produce and perform public presentations to village committees, civic groups, and the general public. 
  • Support Transportation staff with various other department functions. Extensive interaction with a wide range of diverse persons representative of all demographic groups within the village. Treating all persons within his/her scope of authority in a civil manner and taking necessary action to ensure the protection of their civil rights. 
  • Perform other tasks and duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Education equivalent to a high school diploma. 
  • In process of obtaining an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Graduate Degree in Political Science, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Public Administration, or related field. 
  • Possession of a valid driver’s license with no moving violations within the past two years plus have transportation for access to and from inspection sites. 
  • Proficient in current computer software systems such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and be functional with email, calendar programs, spreadsheet, and presentation applications. 
  • Familiarity with job-specific software like ArcGIS and customer service systems is preferred.

Candidates should be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and possess superior organization and writing skills. Ability to approach, speak directly to the public, and make presentations before diverse groups. Experience developing and making presentations to the public and village committees as assigned. The ability to ride a bicycle. Thorough knowledge of bicycle traffic laws. Ability to defuse possible volatile situations. Ability to communicate clearly, lead and develop public presentations, follow oral and written instructions effectively, and project a professional image. Ability to establish good working relationships and work in a team environment. Ability to operate computer equipment and software for data collection and maintaining databases. Direct experience with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Google Docs is desirable.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
  • Physically capable of riding a department supplied bicycle on Village streets and bike paths for up to 7 hours per day. 
  • Possess effective verbal communications and have the ability to comfortably speak in unfamiliar surroundings in front of large diverse groups that include children or adults. 
  • Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing, and create professional presentation materials. 
  • Ability to follow oral and written instructions effectively. 
  • Ability to work outdoors in hot or cold temperatures for long periods of time. 
  • The ability to evaluate and organize data. 
  • Ability to develop and utilize interpersonal skills. 
  • Ability to learn, display, and maintain all skills, knowledge and abilities for the performance of all duties and responsibilities, as established by the Department of Transportation.

BENEFITS:

Part-Time employees are not eligible for benefits.

SELECTION PROCESS:

Candidate screening process may consist of an application review, skills testing, employability assessment, interviews, reference checks, and other job-related testing or verifications. Chosen candidates will be subject to a background and criminal history investigation, and qualifying pre-employment medical examination and drug screen.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Transportation Planning Intern - Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Who: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

What: CMAP is our region’s official comprehensive planning organization. The agency and its partners are implementing ON TO 2050, our newly adopted comprehensive regional plan to help the seven counties and 284 communities of northeastern Illinois implement strategies that address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues. See www.cmap.illinois.gov for more information.

CMAP is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application.

Job Description: Assist in evaluating transportation system investment needs by developing datasets on safety, congestion, transit usage, and calculating performance measures. The ideal candidate for this internship will have strengths in quantitative analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), and basic coding applied to large databases. This position will assist with research that enhances the agency’s capacity to evaluate the safety, reliability, congestion reduction, economic impact, livability, and other benefits of transportation projects. Salary for this internship is $15.00 an hour if currently enrolled in a Graduate Program.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Transportation and Mobility Intern - City of Evanston

Who: City of Evanston

What: The City of Evanston aspires to be recognized as a world-class leader for providing and coordinating a full array of quality mobility transportation options with innovation, integrity and teamwork.

The Transportation & Mobility Intern is responsible for performing entry-level professional planner assignments to support the Transportation & Mobility Coordinator within the Community Development Department. The position assists with various aspects and phases of transportation projects which include providing support in project and field research, data management, report and presentation development, leading community engagement efforts, supporting staff at various public meetings, and providing overall office support coordination. The position provides excellent customer service to internal and external customers. Work is often project oriented, involving full scope of activities from planning to evaluation and implementation.

Hours:15-25 hours/week during School Year; up to 37.5 hours/week during Summer

Pay:$12-$18/hour

Multiple Internships - Metropolitan Planning Council

Who: Metropolitan Planning Council

What: Research Assistant The Metropolitan Planning Council is seeking applicants for our Winter 2020 Research Assistant, Marketing/Communications and Development Intern positions. These are generally unpaid positions with a strong preference for candidates with externally funded stipends, work-study funding or school credit/internship requirements. MPC will have two paid Research Assistant/Intern openings for Winter 2020.

The priority application deadline for Winter 2020 is Friday, January 3, but applications will be accepted on a rolling basis (before and after that date) until all positions are filled.