12 weeks, 12 students, One team. Port Houston’s 2022 Interns have successfully completed their summer program. This Internship program offers a unique setting designed to help high school and college students learn the ins and outs of the maritime industry. With the help of many different departments, students see how a successful maritime business operates while driving the region, state, and nation in economic growth.

Student’s Perspective

“I’ve gained extensive exposure to the maritime and global supply chain industries during my internship. I’ve loved seeing first-hand how my work supports the financial planning department as well as how different divisions work synchronously every day to maintain the largest port on the U.S. Gulf Coast,” states Evan Wu, Financial Planning Intern & University of Michigan student.

“My favorite part of the internship is meeting and talking to various professionals at the port. Being able to see the scale of operations within the port has been enjoyable,” states Brendan McMahan, Facility Planning Intern & Texas A&M Galveston student.

Interns feel like they are part of the team when they work at Port Houston; gaining valuable hands-on experience while making connections in the professional field they want to pursue.

Ricardo Ortiz Jr., M/V Sam Houston Intern and Houston Community College student, states “My favorite part of the internship has been learning about the different departments that make up Port Houston. Everyone made me feel part of the team and I enjoyed working at the port conquering new challenges.”

Victoria Caballero, Environment Affairs Intern and Texas A&M Galveston student, states “I’ve made key connections and learned about the vital work the environmental team does at Port Houston. This team always strives for greener solutions making a big difference to the surrounding port communities.”

Unlike most internships, students are exposed to many different departments at the port to expand their awareness about various career paths. Port Houston also encourages students to apply, evaluate, test, and integrate academic learnings into a real work setting.

“While working with the Emergency Management team, I’ve learned to work with local stakeholders to mitigate hazards, participated in disaster exercises, emergency operations center functions, and work with different departments to develop accurate and efficient emergency response plans,” says Michael Brooks, Emergency Management Intern and University of North Texas student.

Tomas Gonzalez, Project & Construction Management Intern and University of Houston-Downtown student, states “My internship at the port was great thanks to the amazing supervisors providing me with the resources for my projects. The Project & Construction Management department has taught me how to be part of the team and the importance of my role.”

Many interns that come to the port also have opportunities to become full-time employees in the future. Interns get to learn the fundamentals about Port Houston and see why employees have a fulfilling experience working at the port.

Caption: 2022 Interns gather for the last day at Port Houston to share their experiences.

How the Program Works

Like most other programs, Port Houston selects a handful of students to participate in its Summer Internship program every year. The student application process takes place from November – March and the internship takes place from May – August.

To be eligible:

1. Students must be enrolled in and have already completed two semesters in an undergraduate or graduate degree program
2. Students must either attend a Houston area college/university or have residence within a commutable distance to Port Houston
3. Students must be in good academic standing
4. Students may not be related to any current Port Houston employee
5. Students must be able to work throughout the established twelve-week program dates

This year there were 12 students from various schools that helped in Financial Planning, Facility Planning, Emergency Management, Marketing, Branding & External Communications, Project & Construction Management, Environmental Affairs, M/V Sam Houston, Maritime Education, Operations, Channel Development, and GIS/Asset Management departments.

When you take the first step with Port Houston, you’ve taken the first step in the right direction in your new career path. More details about Port Houston’s Internship Program can be found here: https://porthouston.com/careers-2/internship-program/.

Special Thanks to our 2022 Interns!

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Caption: Port Houston 2019 Apprentices

Port Houston partnered with TransPORTS, the U.S. Department of Labor, and San Jacinto College in 2018 to revive its Apprenticeship Program. The organizations worked collaboratively to create curriculum to enable apprentices to develop the necessary skills to become certified mechanics or journeyman electricians upon completion.

The seven-year apprenticeship program combines on-the-job training with academic instruction, which allows the student to put their academic skills to practical use almost immediately. The program includes three years of classroom training and seven years of on-the-job training. For the first three years, classes and the training are administered concurrently.

When the program launched, it was only available to internal port employees. The program was expanded this year to partner with local high school STEM and maritime programs to further develop community engagement. Additionally, five new apprentices were added, three of which are recent graduates from Deer Park and LaPorte High Schools.

“Apprenticeships are a high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction; and a portable, nationally-recognized credential,” said Port Houston Training and Development Manager Carolyn Ashley. “Port Houston recognizes the long-term value of apprenticeships as a workforce retention and development tool.”

The Apprenticeship Program will assist Port Houston in meeting future needs for well-trained, qualified  workers. In a market where unemployment is at an all-time low and the demand for skilled qualified workers is only getting more competitive, Port Houston had to find a way to maintain their success. The program is an investment in the port and its employees, said Port Houston Human Resources Manager Josh Northcutt.

“We are utilizing equipment that is not native to our region and we need skilled employees who can maintain and repair that equipment,” said Northcutt. “The employees who are capable and skilled in this respect are mostly located in Georgia, Virginia and California – recruiting and relocating employees outside of Texas is not cost-effective, so we had to find a way to home grow our own employees.”

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Port Houston received the Economic Impact Award from the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston at the chamber's annual gala Sept. 30.

Port Chairman Janiece Longoria accepted the honor on behalf of the organization. As one of the world's busiest ports, the business activity in the greater Port of Houston generates more than one million jobs throughout Texas and $265 billion in statewide economic impact.

“The port long has been a significant economic driver for our region and our state and we are working hard to make sure that continues,” Chairman Longoria said.

Port Houston provides a strategic gateway for cargo and has been instrumental in the city of Houston’s development as a center of international trade. It is home to a sprawling petrochemical complex, which is the largest in the nation and the second largest in the world.

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston was established in 1999 to address an increasing need to educate local businesses and the Indo-American community at large about doing business with India.

The chamber focuses on local jobs by encouraging exports to India, and on bilateral trading opportunities.

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