The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) division at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) in Richmond, Virginia is
pleased to announce an internship opportunity (unpaid) for spring,
2009.  The GIS division works to support the mission of VEDP: “To
enhance the quality of life and raise the standard of living for all
Virginians, in collaboration with Virginia communities, through
aggressive business recruitment, expansion assistance, and trade
development, thereby expanding the tax base and creating higher-income
employment opportunities.”  To assist in fulfilling this mission, we
focus on cartographic products for project support, custom application
development, as well as data creation and analysis.

Summary:  This internship will provide a valuable experience to
students seeking a career in GIS.  The successful candidate will
receive hands-on experience with the suite of ESRI software products,
namely ArcGIS Desktop 9.3, desktop extensions and ArcSDE.  The
successful candidate will work on a wide variety of GIS projects.  Past
internship projects have included digitizing and editing, creating
metadata, researching and creating datasets by geocoding addresses,
cartographic work to update standard maps used throughout the agency,
and georeferencing image files to update datasets.  The successful
candidate may also conduct research and work directly with business
development managers to assist with project support.  The intern will
participate as a VEDP staff member by attending staff meetings,
retreats and social gatherings.  Hours are flexible to accommodate
class schedule(s) or other commitments.

Qualifications:  The qualified intern will be a student in (or
recent graduate from) an undergraduate or graduate program seeking
on-the-job experience in GIS.  Ideal candidates will have some
experience using GIS and working knowledge of ESRI’s ArcGIS product
family. VEDP operates off a Microsoft Office platform, and experience
in Word, Excel, and Outlook is expected.  Applicants should be
task-oriented, highly organized and possess a strong interest in GIS.
The qualified applicant will be a self-motivated, conscientious
individual who can work independently with minimal supervision, as well
as communicate closely with staff.

Benefits:  This internship is unpaid, though the successful
candidate will enjoy the benefits of working in downtown Richmond with
a team of GIS professionals who foster growth toward a career in GIS. 
Course credit is offered with participating schools.  You can read more
about VEDP and the GIS division on the web at: http://www.yesvirginia.org/and http://gis.vedp.org

Term: This position is for the spring semester with the potential to extend into the summer.

Application:  Please send your resume and cover letter by December 19th, 2008 to:

Trent Park, GIS Manager
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
901 East Byrd Street, 18th Floor West
P.O. Box 798
Richmond, Virginia 23218-0798
tpark@yesvirginia.org, 804-545-5685