10 Internships for High School Students in Jacksonville, Florida
Internships are a great way for high school students to gain work experience. They provide crucial practical experience in a chosen field, which is often unattainable in a traditional classroom setting. They can significantly enhance your resume, demonstrating initiative to college admissions committees and future employers. Internships also facilitate professional networking and help you develop essential soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Jacksonville, Florida, is a hub for industries like logistics, maritime, financial services, healthcare, technology, and advanced manufacturing, allowing you to gain professional experience and explore a variety of career pathways. Organizations such as the Mayor's Youth at Work Partnership and the Annie Ruth Foundation connect students with paid opportunities and mentorship. This practical experience can clarify your career interests, helping you decide what to study in college.
Below, we have listed 10 internships for high school students in Jacksonville, Florida, to help you get started.
10 Internships for High School Students in Jacksonville, Florida
1. GlobalJax High School Internship Program
Location: GlobalJax, Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Flexible; based on the student’s academic calendar
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students from public or private schools
The GlobalJax High School Internship Program is an excellent opportunity for students interested in international relations, nonprofit work, or diplomacy. As an intern, you’ll work with the GlobalJax team to run international education programs and coordinate visitor exchanges, gaining experience through various projects. You may also help with event planning, social media, fundraising, or public policy work, depending on your skills and interests. You get full access to GlobalJax events, allowing you to meet local and international professionals, learn from their experiences, and build skills that will help you in college and future careers.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies according to the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Dates: 8–12 weeks, multiple cohorts during the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and gap year students who can work for 10 – 20 hours/week for 8 – 12 weeks
Through Ladder Internships, you’ll get to intern with start-ups doing real projects in tech, AI, journalism, consulting, and other fields. You’ll spend about 10–20 hours weekly working with company managers. At the end of the program, you’ll present your project to the team. It’s a hands-on internship where you actually contribute, not just observe, and since it’s online, you can join from wherever you are. You will be part of a fast-growing company, where you will get to see how young companies adapt to challenges in real time. Ladder’s internships are at companies usually backed by Y Combinator or led by Harvard and McKinsey alumni, often raising over a million dollars.
3. Mayor’s Youth at Work Partnership (MYAWP)
Location: Various partner sites across Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Dates: Typically, 6 weeks during the summer and year–round
Application Deadline: Typically, spring
Eligibility: Students ages 16–21 enrolled in a high school, GED program, technical school, college, or university in Duval County
The Mayor’s Youth at Work Partnership provides paid internships for students in Duval County. You can work up to 25 hours per week in summer or 15 hours per week during the school year. It pairs you with a local employer, where you receive support from a personal job coach from Goodwill or Kids Hope Alliance. Your coach helps you get started, guides you through on-the-job training, and stays in touch with both you and your supervisor. The program also offers career-readiness training, including financial literacy (like setting up a VyStar bank account), professional communication, workplace skills, and other important lessons for future jobs.
4. JTA Summer Internship Program
Location: Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in the Jacksonville area
The JTA Summer Internship Program allows high school students in Jacksonville to take part in a 10-week paid work experience in departments like Finance, Engineering, IT, Marketing, or Human Resources. You will gain hands-on experience by contributing to real transit projects that help the city run smoothly. You will attend professional workshops, receive guidance from JTA staff mentors, and have opportunities to meet and network with local professionals. You will also participate in meetings, assist with daily tasks, and showcase your learning by presenting a final project at the end of the program.
5. Annie Ruth Foundation Summer Internship Program
Location: Community partners in Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Dates: One-year program leading to the summer internship
Application Deadline: Typically, in June
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors living in Duval or any of its surrounding counties with a 2.0 or higher GPA.
The Annie Ruth Foundation’s Summer Internship Program (SIP) is a year-long initiative that leads to a summer placement. Before the internship, you attend monthly business seminars where you acquire essential workforce readiness skills such as professional communication, networking, and interview techniques, meeting with community leaders and subject matter experts from various fields. The core summer activity is a paid, part-time internship placement within a local business or organization, which is matched to your career aspirations (e.g., medicine, law, engineering, or business) to provide experience in your field. Throughout this period, you benefit from mentorship by professionals who guide you in your roles and offer career advice.
6. Jimerson Birr School Internship Program
Location: Jimerson Birr, P.A., Jacksonville, FL.
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Dates: 4-6 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Typically spring
Eligibility: High school students who can work at the Jimerson Birr office in Florida
Jimerson Birr offers a premier summer internship that gives ambitious high school students a valuable, behind-the-scenes perspective on the operations of a professional business law firm. You gain direct, real-world experience by rotating through key departments, including legal services, IT, accounting, and marketing, where you contribute to projects. This exposure helps you cultivate transferable professional skills in areas like communication, business management, and legal protocols. Ideal for those considering careers in law, business, or economics, the program concludes by providing students with strong professional mentorship and a deeper comprehension of how high-level firms function.
7. Baptist Health VolunTeen Program
Location: Multiple Baptist Health Northeast Florida facilities, including Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville (Downtown)
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Group 1: June 9 – 19; Group 2: July 7 – 17; Group 3: July 21 – 31
Application Deadline: March 28
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 years old by May 1 | Must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA
The Baptist Health VolunTeen Program is a summer volunteer opportunity designed for high school students in the Jacksonville area, aiming to provide practical exposure to the healthcare environment. It primarily covers topics related to hospital operations, patient care support, and medical career exploration. You participate in activities like assisting staff with administrative tasks on various units, delivering mail and supplies, greeting visitors and directing them, and transporting patients in wheelchairs. Through this intensive experience, you learn vital skills such as professionalism, communication, teamwork, time management, and responsibility, offering a valuable foundation for future healthcare or administrative careers.
8. SPARK (Science Program for the Advancement of Research Knowledge) program
Location: Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 2 – December 3
Application Deadline: December 31
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors enrolled at a school in Duval County or St. Johns County for the upcoming academic year | Minimum 3.5 unweighted GPA
In this program, high school students interested in biomedical science get the chance to work with Mayo Clinic researchers at the Jacksonville campus. You will spend time in real laboratories learning research methods, practicing hands-on techniques, and building the skills needed to think like a scientist. Throughout the experience, you’ll develop your own research project that can be used for science fairs and competitions, while receiving guidance from expert mentors. The program requires a commitment of at least 25 hours per week during the summer and continues into the school year, offering a realistic look at what it’s like to be involved in ongoing scientific research.
9. Arc Jacksonville – High School High Tech (HSHT)
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Year–round
Application Deadline: No fixed annual deadline; enrollment is ongoing
Eligibility: Florida students aged 14 – 22 having any type of disability (as defined by the program/Vocational Rehabilitation)
The High School High Tech (HSHT) program at The Arc Jacksonville is designed for high school students with disabilities who are interested in exploring careers in STEM and other high-demand fields. Through hands-on activities, workplace tours, job shadowing, mentoring, and skill-building workshops, you’ll learn about different career paths and what it takes to succeed in them. The program focuses on real-world readiness, helping you develop communication skills, gain confidence, and understand workplace expectations. You will get opportunities to meet professionals, visit colleges and training programs, and learn about post-graduation options.
10. Stepping Stones Program at Florida State College
Location: Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $1,500 stipend, along with financial aid and scholarship assistance
Dates: 6 to 8 weeks in the summer immediately following high school graduation
Application Deadline: Typically, April 1
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors from the greater Jacksonville area, especially those from low-income, high-need schools
The Stepping Stones Program at FSCJ helps recent high school graduates explore careers through short-term training programs. You can choose areas such as healthcare (including CNA, phlebotomy, and medical office support), information technology, manufacturing, low-voltage systems, or entrepreneurship. During the program, you’ll get hands-on training, learn important workplace skills like communication, time management, and financial literacy, and receive guidance from instructors and industry mentors. Stepping Stones also provides academic support and assistance with finding a job or continuing your education after completing the program.
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