Illuminate
Lighting Your Career Pathway through Internships
Career Services, in collaboration with the Office of the Chancellor, announces a brand-new opportunity for UIC students. Illuminate – Lighting Career Pathways Internship Program is a special dedicated internship program connecting Chicago area employers to UIC students. Employers from the non-profit and for-profit sectors across a wide range of fields and interest areas are offering internship positions that are EXCLUSIVELY RESERVED for UIC students. Posted in Handshake under the Illuminate Collection, these opportunities will be open only for UIC students to apply.
ALL POSITIONS WILL BE PAID!! For profit employers will fund their own opportunities, and non-profit unpaid organizations will take advantage of UIC funds to compensate students for the internship. NOTE: Students hired for the non-profit internships will be paid through a grant offered directly from the university and should check with Financial Aid prior to applying to see how the awarding of a grant may affect their financial aid.
The employer partners participating in this program are so confident that they will find high quality intern candidates from the UIC community, they have committed to posting and hiring a UIC student for at least one (or more) of their internship positions.
All positions are located on Handshake – students should follow the directions posted for each position on what materials to apply, but minimally a resume and cover letter will be required.
Illuminate positions will be offered on a rolling basis throughout the entire year, with the first batch of offerings posted for application for Summer 2025. Additional opportunities will be posted as they become available, starting in the fall.
Accordian
Student Requirements/Information
- All positions will be posted in Handshake, designated as special Illuminate Internship Program positions at https://uic.joinhandshake.com/edu/collections/23041. Students should apply through Handshake with a resume and cover letter, including any other documents required.
- To be eligible, students must be undergraduate or graduate students in good academic standing.
- Students applying for non-profit opportunities should check with financial aid to determine their eligibility for receiving a grant BEFORE applying. In some instances, students’ financial aid may be affected by the grant offered through this program. This applies only to the non-profit opportunities posted.
- International students should consult with the Office of International Students about Curricular Practical Training options if they are applying to Illuminate positions. CPT application is required before accepting any off campus positions.
- Students are not guaranteed a position, although only UIC students will be allowed to apply to these specific openings.
- Students are encouraged to take note of any special qualifications or experience requested by each position and apply accordingly.
- Students should be prepared to complete any paperwork required by the company or UIC that will assist with payment and compensation.
- Candidates must be prepared to participate in interviews for the positions and prepare to arrive/log in on time and represent themselves and the institution in a professional manner. Students are welcome to engage campus career services staff for assistance with preparing resumes, cover letters, and interviewing practice prior to participating in the program.
- If hired, students must abide by all requirements of the internship position, as well as all UIC codes of conduct while working with the company/organization. Students have a responsibility to reach out to the Career Services office to inform them of any issues that would prevent them from fulfilling their obligations.
- Students will be assigned a supervisor and will work with that supervisor to engage in a mid-summer and final evaluation that will be shared with the Career Services office.
Employer Requirements/Information
We invite our employer partners to join this special opportunity to partner with the University of Illinois Chicago to identify superior talent to join their workforce pipeline as a summer intern. Participants may already have an existing recruiting relationship with UIC or with another campus career office, however this program will be exclusively coordinated through the main Career Services office.
Each participating employer will be asked to reserve and dedicate at least one internship slot for an undergraduate or graduate UIC student during the summer, fall, or spring term. The idea is that UIC students would compete only with other UIC students for these positions. Employers with a strong interest in building a capable, dedicated, excellent, and diverse workforce can take advantage of this unique opportunity to raise their level of visibility with UIC student candidates.
- The program welcomes both FOR PROFIT and NON PROFIT profit organizations to participate. For-profit organizations must offer paid opportunities. Non-profit organizations only with unpaid opportunities can participate and request that their internship opportunity be funded by a grant that will be offered directly to their chosen candidate or candidates. (note – please consult with Career Services staff to determine funding availability). Intern pay rate should be at least at the hourly minimum wage for the City of Chicago, or the state of Illinois, whatever is applicable.
- Internships must be substantive, career preparatory experiences that provide the intern with opportunities to build skills and gain experience that will improve future professional development and marketability.
- Positions can be remote, in person, or hybrid, with the assumption that students have clear
expectations about the nature of remote work and a clear line of supervision and accountability for the work being conducted. - Cooperating supervisors and selected students must be willing to provide mid-term and end of term evaluations of their intern(s).
- Organizations must complete an Intent to Participate form, stating their commitment to providing at least one experience exclusively to a UIC student. This form will be on file with the Career Services office, who will reach out to employers each year to confirm participation in subsequent terms.
- All internship opportunities should have a start and end date for the purposes of evaluations that will be collected by UIC at the end of the experience, however the participating organizations may reserve the right to keep interns on staff past the official end date. Organizations must notify Career Services if, for whatever reason, they need to modify or change the end date of the internship. Participating companies should also notify Career Services if there are any serious performance issues that arise while the student is employed as an intern.
- All positions will be posted in Handshake with a special designation that these are the dedicated positions featured in the Illuminate program. Special outreach and marketing efforts will communicate to students that these employers have made a unique effort to guarantee that a UIC student will join their team!