The Birmingham City Council has a long history of hosting student interns, but it is in its second semester of partnering with Birmingham Promise. Having hosted eight Promise interns last semester and five this semester, the Birmingham City Council says it can see mutual benefits of working with a constituency group that deserves attention.
“These students have excelled in the classroom as evidenced by their grades and college scholarship offers, so working here allows us to show them what service looks like, the broad range of career opportunities that are available, and hopefully lead some of them to find their place in government, as an employee or elected official,” said Jeffery McDaniels, deputy council administrator for the city.
The Birmingham City Council is the legislative branch of Birmingham city government, and it is made up of nine council members elected from districts across the city. The councilors work closely with the mayor’s office, city staff and other municipal leaders to address a wide range of issues affecting Birmingham residents and businesses.
An internship with the council gives students a chance to see how city government works and to see the opportunities that exist for public service. However, the goal is to give the students something that will serve them throughout their careers, whatever the future holds.
“We want the students to have a better understanding of municipal government at the conclusion of the internship, a challenging, yet memorable professional experience, and to know that we are committed to helping them realize their dreams,” McDaniels said.
