College Intern, Small Business Learning & Development - Culture & Strategy

About Our Job

What We Offer

This internship is an on-call position, which means it is a part-time, hourly role. The City and County of Denver offers a competitive pay rate to commensurate with education, with the pay range for this position between $20.22 to $22.78 per hour. This position is eligible to enroll in the City and County of Denver’s 457b retirement plan. This position is not eligible for other additional benefits. On-call positions may have routine or variable work schedules.

Location Flexibility

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model with a required 3 days in office. Employees work where needed to support business at Denver International Airport (DEN). We do not offer housing or relocation assistance for this position. Employees must work within the state of Colorado.

Internship Duration and Hours

This is a 3-month internship that will run from February 2027 to April 2027. Hours typically vary 15-30 hours a week during school semesters, but not exceeding 39 hours a week. The intern’s work schedule will be flexible to accommodate their current academic commitments.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

Denver International Airport is the third-busiest airport in the United States and one of the top ten busiest airports in the world. We are the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $47.2 billion for the region annually. At DEN, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate individuality and strive to keep Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) at the center of all that we do.

Through the DEN Intern (nicknamed “DENtern”) Program, students gain real world experience in aviation and workforce development while building professional skills. DENterns participate in networking, collaboration, and professional growth, tours, and engaging in impactful projects across the airport.

DEN’s Culture & Strategy – Airport Access & Business Opportunity group is actively seeking a Small Business Learning & Development DENtern to contribute to their division. As part of DEN's Strategic Plan, Vision 100, which envisions reaching 100 million annual passengers, Culture & Strategy plays a pivotal role in transforming the aviation industry.

Within the Culture & Strategy Division, the Business Learning & Development (BLD) team works to create programming and supportive environments, while providing excellent customer service to small businesses and supporting the City and County of Denver’s Division of Small Business and Opportunity’s Mentor Protégé program. The primary program within BLD’s portfolio is the Business Development Training Academy (BDTA). BDTA is an industry-leading program that provides training and resources to help small businesses implement a systematic approach for pursuing contracting opportunities at DEN and support their continued learning as a DEN contractor and/or concessionaire.

As a DENtern you will get to experience working on projects such as, but not limited to:

Project #1: Program Coordination Support

• Support classroom management duties, including coordinating speakers, communicating with students, managing attendance, and preparing class materials.
• Coordinate virtual classroom presence for BDTA students and help maintain engagement.

Project #2: Build a Weekly Communications & Engagement Toolbox and Template

• Draft and deliver weekly communications to BDTA program participants—crafting clear, professional, and engaging messages that include reminders, updates, and outreach efforts designed to strengthen students’ professional writing, confidence, and connection to the program.

Project #3: Presentation & Facilitation Practice

• Build confidence and skill in public speaking, facilitation, and lead student engagement moments by:
• Leading opening or closing class announcements to practice clear, confident verbal communication
• Facilitating one brief activity or engagement moment that strengthens group interaction and develops facilitation skills

Project #4: BDTA Professional Services Pilot Program

• Develop a small-scale pilot workshop or resource tailored for Professional Services firms through industry research and discovery of best practices
• Support planning and refinement of the pilot to ensure it is practical, relevant, and ready for preliminary testing

Project #5: BDTA Alumni Association Coordination

• Support early coordination and engagement with the BDTA Alumni board and association members.

What you’ll bring

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following interests, characteristics and skills:

• An interest in business development, training, or community impact
• Interest in supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, and diverse communities
• Collaborative with a positive, team-oriented attitude
• Creative thinker who enjoys problem-solving and trying new ideas
• Proactive, dependable, and able to manage multiple tasks

Desired skill set

• Customer Service: Understanding and addressing client needs.
• Interpersonal Skills: Building rapport and working well with others.
• Presentation Skills: Ability to present ideas clearly and confidently.
• Problem-Solving: Analyzing issues and developing solutions.
• Research Skills: Identifying and collecting information about a given topic

Minimum qualifications

• Education Requirement: This position is open to students currently enrolled in an accredited college program leading to a certificate, licensure, associates, bachelors, higher degree in, or up to one year post college graduation.
• Experience: None
• Education and Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted.

Mandatory documentation required to be considered for this position:

• 1–2-page resume
• Transcripts – either official or unofficial; dated within your current academic term. This is only used to verify amounts of credits; grades will not influence decisions.

Optional Documents

• Cover letter detailing why you are interested in this position and 3-5 new skills, experiences, or tools you are hoping to take away from this experience.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until Monday, 10/26. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, 10/25 at 11:59 PM.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

TA3181 Professional Administration Intern To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here .

Position Type

Oncall

Position Salary Range

$20.22 - $22.85

Target Pay

$20.22 to $22.78 per hour; commensurate with education

Agency

Denver International Airport

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver e mployees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.