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City describes revamped Moline High School internship: rotations, career prep and nine interns
Summary
The Community & Economic Development Department outlined a retooled Moline High School internship emphasizing career-prep, department rotations and experiential learning; nine interns participated this year and AFSCME praised the program’s caliber.
City staff presented an updated Moline High School internship program to the council on July 8, 2025, describing a multi-year effort to shift from open enrollment to a selective, career-preparation model that exposes students to multiple city departments and hands-on tasks.
Juan Tidwell (presentation credited to Mr. Tidwell) said the four-year-old program was revised this year to require students to submit a cover letter and resume, complete interviews, and attend an employee-style orientation. The program now offers two career tracks—public works/utilities or administrative services—and requires rotations through multiple departments so students get exposure to wastewater, drinking water, public works and grounds or finance, human resources, and legal, depending on their track.
Staff built experiential learning into the program: interns take part in a strategic planning session, tour city properties including the wastewater treatment plant, participate in a “muffins with the mayor” session, complete weekly QR-code surveys about their department rotations, and prepare a final project for presentation to peers and department directors. Tidwell said the AFSCME new executive board praised the “caliber of students” in this year’s program.
Nine interns from Moline High School plus a Bob Turner intern participated in this year’s program. Staff said the weekly feedback surveys allow supervisors to make real-time adjustments—reassigning students to different departments if interests or fits differ from initial placement.
Council members thanked staff and the students in attendance; staff said the city would share the students’ strategic planning results with the full council.
The program will continue to be evaluated with an eye toward preparing students for careers or further education and potentially building a local talent pipeline.
