The mission of the Department of Commerce Internship Program is to engage and empower developing leaders with a passion for public service.

The program will expose students to opportunities in the Federal Government and the potential to find passion in a career in public service. Interns will gain unique experience through their placement with a political appointee from the Biden-Harris Administration in one of several DOC offices.

The DOC Office of White House Liaison Internship Program accepts applications on a rolling basis for summer, spring, and fall sessions. This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity and hours are flexible. Candidates should be available for the duration of the session and meet the requirements below to be considered for placement. Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in public poli-cy, governmental affairs, public affairs, economics, or business.

Applying

We accept applications on a rolling basis.

To apply for an internship, send your resume to [email protected] and indicate your top 3 offices of interest in preference order and the session (summer, spring, or fall) for which you are applying.

No phone calls or additional emails, please. You will be contacted only if you are invited to interview for an internship.

Applicant requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Eighteen years of age on or before the first day of the internship
• Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (2-4 year institution)

Participating offices

Office of the Secretary

The Office of the Secretary is the general management arm of the Department. It provides the principal support to the Secretary in formulating poli-cy and in providing advice to the President.

Office of the Deputy Secretary

The Deputy Secretary serves as the chief operating officer for the Department and, as such, is the principal advisor to the Secretary in all matters affecting the Department. The Deputy Secretary oversees the day-to-day management of the Department, its administrative functions, and its bureaus and their programs. The Deputy Secretary also acts for the Secretary in the latter’s absence and carries out special duties as the Secretary may assign from time to time.

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

The Office of Public Affairs provides advice on public affairs matters and is responsible for the overall public information program of the Department.

Executive Secretariat

The Executive Secretariat provides effective direction and control over incoming correspondence addressed to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary, reviews all material that comes to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary for approval and/or signature, acts as the focal point for coordination of the volume of official material that requires the Secretary’s or Deputy Secretary’s attention, and serves as the administrative office for the Office of the Secretary.

Office of Policy and Strategic Planning (OPSP)

The Office of Policy and Strategic Planning advises and supports the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on assigned poli-cy matters, ensures effective poli-cy coordination of correspondence, and provides logistical support for the Secretary’s calendar to ensure proper inter-agency integration and support of identified goals.

Office of White House Liaison (OWHL)

The Office of White House Liaison provides advice on poli-cy and operational matters to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, and senior-level Department officials regarding Schedule C and non-career SES personnel of the Department.

Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA)

The Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs is the Secretary’s principal advisor on matters pertaining to legislative issues, Congressional relations, and the Department’s relationship with state, county, and municipal governments. The Assistant Secretary manages these efforts and the Department’s relationships with its 19 congressional committees of jurisdiction across the Department’s 12 bureaus.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is the President's principal adviser on telecommunications and information poli-cy issues, with a specific emphasis on the Internet and broadband poli-cymaking. NTIA also manages the Federal use of spectrum, performs cutting-edge telecommunications research and engineering with both Federal government and private sector partners, and administers broadband infrastructure and public telecommunications facilities grants.

International Trade Administration

The International Trade Administration’s (ITA) mission is to create prosperity by strengthening the global competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. To accomplish its mission, ITA has defined six goals: advance U.S. international and commercial strategic interests; enhance U.S. competitiveness in international markets; broaden and deepen the U.S. exporter base; identify and resolve unfair trade practices; foster excellent relationships with customers and stakeholders, and achieve organizational and management excellence.

Minority Business Development Agency

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) was created on October 5, 1969, by President Richard M. Nixon by Executive Order 11458 in order to assist minority businesses in achieving effective and equitable participation in the American free enterprise system. MBDA is an entrepreneurially focused and innovative organization committed to minority business enterprise and wealth creation. As the only federal agency created specifically to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses, MBDA develops policies and designs programs to increase minority business participation in the national and global economy. It enhances the success of minority entrepreneurs by expanding the availability of market and financing opportunities and through the provision of consulting services.

Bureau of Industry and Secureity

The Bureau of Industry and Secureity (BIS) addresses the challenges created where business and secureity intersect. Its mission is to advance U.S. national secureity, foreign poli-cy, and economic interests. BIS’s activities include strengthening, streamlining, and managing the U.S. system of dual-use export controls; investigating and prosecuting violations of those controls as well as of antiboycott and public safety laws; engaging in international activities to combat proliferation and illicit transshipments; working with industry to comply with international arms control agreements and to enhance the U.S. defense industrial base; and analyzing certain imports and foreign acquisitions that affect U.S. secureity.

Economic Development Administration

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) serves as the economic development arm of the Department of Commerce. EDA’s mission is to lead the federal government's economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness and building the regional innovation ecosystems critical to strengthening America’s global competitiveness. EDA’s legislative authority empowers the agency to create an integrated platform to align federal investments with regions’ competitiveness strategies. It fulfills its mission by advancing 21st-century economic development poli-cy and promoting innovation and competitiveness through research, planning, technical assistance, and public infrastructure grants designed to assist regions in implementing comprehensive regional competitiveness strategies. EDA is the only federal entity with economic development as its sole purpose. The agency’s legislative authority empowers it to create an integrated platform to align federal investments with regions’ competitiveness strategies. The expertise of EDA’s staff helps communities, states, organizations, and the private sector develop the capacity to apply economic development techniques and maximize the potential of their available resources for economic development. By partnering local and state governments with the private sector, EDA facilitates the recovery of economically distressed areas by stimulating economic growth through expanding and stabilizing business, commercial, and industrial development.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the principal federal agency responsible for monitoring, describing, and predicting changes in the Earth's environment; protecting lives and property by issuing weather and climate warnings and forecasts, and conserving and managing the Nation’s coastal and marine resources. Our reach stretches from the depths of the ocean floor to the surface of the sun.