PG&E Virtual Internship Program

PG&E Virtual Internship Program

Funder: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in partnership with National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project

Geographic Scope: Northern California (serves high schools in Oakland, Fremont, Fresno, and Stockton; and Merlo Institute of Environmental Education)

Focus Areas: Energy sector career development, renewable energy, sustainability, community resilience

Description: Paid virtual internship program for high school juniors and seniors combining energy education mentorship with soft skills training through Junior Achievement. Interns work with PG&E employee mentors on projects related to clean energy and community resilience.

Participating Schools:

Skyline High School (Oakland)

Oakland High School (Oakland)

Irvington High School (Fremont)

Edison High School (Fresno)

Merlo Institute of Environmental Education (Stockton)

Program Structure:

Typical format: 2 hours per day after-school program

1 hour with mentors

1 hour in soft skills courses (Career Success, Financial Literacy) through Junior Achievement or project work

Total of 60+ hours per intern

Includes 12+ career pathway presentations

One-to-one intern advisors

Project coaching

Program Features:

35 PG&E employee volunteers serve as personal mentors, project mentors, and presenters

Hands-on activities (e.g., Energy House activity)

Three PG&E certifications earned through online courses:

- Basics of Solar Electric Systems
- Electric Vehicles: What You Need to Know
- Energy Math

Junior Achievement courses completed

Professional resume development

LinkedIn profile development

Capstone project presentations

Awards:

Mixed-school teams of three develop solutions for COVID high-risk populations

Winning teams can qualify for $100,000 PG&E Better Together Community Resiliency Grant

Individual awards: $100 for first place team members, $50 for second place, $25 for all other participants

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from participating schools in PG&E service area

Contact Information:

Email: info@need.org

Phone: 1-800-875-5029

Address: 8408 Kao Circle, Manassas, VA 20110