The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting applications for summer internships until March 31, 2023.These internships, funded by sales of the AGFC’s Conservation License Plates, let students gain hands-on training and experience needed to compete for a future career in conservation. Nykki Allred, intern-ship coordinator for the AGFC, is extremely passionate about the program and says it pro-vides much more than work experience for a resume. Intern fisheries “We were able to reopen the internship program last summer after a year off because of COVID, and it was amazing to see all these students learned, ”Allred said. “The super-visors were all passion-ate about teaching their interns about conservation and the impact our agency has on conservation. So many times students will study some-thing and not be able to learn the real-world duties they will one day take part in, and this program is perfect for that. ”Many students are interested in careers in wildlife management, fisheries, wildlife health and conservation education, but often lack the hands-on experience to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Allred says an intern-ship not only helps the students in this department, but also gives the agency an opportunity to recruit for possible job vacancies. “That’s what’s so great about these intern-ships. Not only are the interns benefitting, but the agency also gets to build on the education they have with real experience that they need from future employees,” Allred said. “We had seven requests to fill vacancies with interns from last summer. ”Internships are available across the state in conservation education, wildlife management, fisheries management, and wildlife law enforcement. To qualify for an internship, an applicant:

• Must have a declared degree in the conservation field.

• Must have 60 hours of college credits earned by the time the intern-ship begins.

• At the time of application, must be a college student, graduated within the previous 12months, or currently been rolled in a post-graduate program. Graduates must have completed education no earlier than June 2022 to be eligible for the summer2023 internship window.

• Must have a 2.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Selected interns will be responsible to coordinate with their college or university to obtain course credit for their work.

•Applications should include a current resume, a one-page cover letter, a copy of college transcripts and a completed application form.Visit https://jobs.agfc.com for more information on the internship program and a list of openings for 2023