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Spring Job Shadow and Summer 2026 Internship Opportunities

January is a big month at WLC! In January, both the spring 2026 job shadow portal and the summer 2026 internship application portal will be open. There are so many opportunities for students to explore careers of interest!

The summer 2026 internship portal will be open from Dec. 15, 2025, through Feb. 6, 2026, for current high school sophomores and juniors. Internships are 40 hours and students will earn dual credit.

The Portal III (January) job shadow application window will be open from Jan. 5 – 21, 2026. High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can explore a variety of careers and gain useful information about what it takes to succeed in different fields in a short two- to four-hour experience. Check out the wide variety of shadow opportunities available.

Cloudy With a Chance of … Career Exploration?

Each academic year brings shifting trends in student interest, and this year, meteorology emerged as an area of increased demand. We received 13 requests from students eager to explore careers in weather forecasting, nearly triple the number from last year.

While we love to see this growing excitement for the field, we also knew we need to expand the capacity of our existing experiences. Rebecca Kopelman, meteorologist with Iowa News Now, has been a longstanding and valued partner, consistently providing high-quality job shadow opportunities for our students. To accommodate the increased interest without overextending any one host, we sought additional partners in the field.

We connected with Joe Winters and Camille Dinka, meteorologists at KCRG-TV9, as well as Kaj O’Mara, a Certified Consulting Meteorologist, to explore the possibility of creating additional small-group experiences. All three responded with enthusiasm and a strong commitment to supporting student career exploration.

Through this collaboration, we established two new meteorology-focused job shadow opportunities:

1. Meteorology and Broadcasting at KCRG-TV9
   At KCRG, Camille and Joe led students through a comprehensive overview of broadcast meteorology. Participants toured the newsroom and studio, observed how a newscast is produced, and learned how meteorologists develop daily forecasts and “weather stories.” Students also had the opportunity to observe behind the scenes of the midday newscast and practice using the green screen technology themselves. (Spoiler: It’s harder than it looks!)
   
   
2. Broadcast and Consulting Meteorology at KGAN
   At KGAN, Rebecca teamed up with Kaj to showcase the breadth of the field. Rebecca shared insights into the daily work of a broadcast meteorologist, while Kaj introduced students to the research, data analysis, and problem-solving side of consulting meteorology. Together, they gave students a full picture of the diverse pathways within the profession.

Meteorologist Camille said, “Opportunities like this job shadow are so important for high school students. They allow students to see the day-to-day realities of the profession and help them determine whether this is the right career path before pursuing it further. I hope one thing they take away from this job shadow is that there are so many opportunities out there, whether that is in meteorology or not. They just need to keep exploring and find what they are passionate about, and there are people out there who want to support them on their career journey. I was in their shoes not so long ago and I know it can be stressful. I love being able to help.”

We are grateful to all our partners for their willingness to support and expand these valuable experiences. Their collaboration ensures students have meaningful opportunities to explore emerging areas of interest and make informed decisions about their future careers.

WLC STEAM Institute Continues to Grow

Workplace Learning Connection’s STEAM Institute has kicked off another exciting year. This hands-on career exploration event gives area seventh grade students the opportunity to explore careers and pathways within the STEAM fields — science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Students learn about career options and local industries, get a glimpse into the world of work, connect classroom learning to real-world jobs, and begin meaningful conversations about career self-discovery.

For the first time, we hosted a STEAM Institute event at the Kirkwood Community College Jones County Regional Center. As participation increased and school interest expanded, we saw both the need and the value in creating a dedicated Jones County event. More than 400 students from Anamosa, Central City, Lisbon, Midland, Monticello, North Cedar, and Springville middle schools attended this expansion. In the past, these schools attended STEAM Institute at either the Linn County Regional Center or the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa in Coralville.

“The seventh graders at Monticello Middle School were really excited to attend the STEAM Institute at the Jones County Regional Center this year,” said Monticello Middle School Counselor Jamie Vroegh. “Having the event closer to home allowed us to bring all of our seventh graders, which is an incredible opportunity. Hosting the STEAM event in Jones County means our students can experience the Kirkwood center firsthand, explore the different exciting opportunities available in STEAM, and begin thinking about their future pathways right here in our own community.”

Expanding the STEAM Institute to Jones County also allowed us to engage more local businesses — giving students direct exposure to nearby companies and career opportunities. This year’s participating Jones County businesses included Anamosa Veterinary Services, Andy’s Electric, DigiFarm VBN, Family Veterinary Services, Innovative Ag Services, ITS, Metal Design Systems, and Polo Custom Products.

“It’s incredibly valuable for students to see the wide range of career opportunities that exist right here in Jones County,” says Metal Design Systems President, Michael Gahring. “Many students don’t realize that world-class companies like Metal Design Systems, Inc. operate in their own backyard and contribute to projects seen throughout the United States. When students are exposed to real career paths close to home, they begin to understand that they don’t have to leave the community to find impactful, well-paying, and fulfilling work. Helping students make that connection early not only builds their confidence but strengthens the future workforce of our community.”

By the end of the 2025 – ’26 school year, over 4,400 students will have attended one of our STEAM Institute events. None of this would be possible without the support of our business partners. This year, more than 60 businesses will participate across our STEAM Institute locations.

Are you a business interested in getting involved next year? If so, reach out to Shalene Brinkman by email at shalane.brinkman@kirkwood.edu.