North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) will expand access to museum careers by facilitating up to 40 paid internship opportunities across DNCR venues. For the project, DNCR will recruit interns with various trade skills, as well as those studying information technology, business, natural sciences and other STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) majors, as well as museum studies. Internship positions will be placed throughout DNCR's 100 venues, in areas such as exhibit fabrication, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) development, GIS tech, museum maintenance, and education. All interns will complete structured onboarding, develop three defined technical competencies, participate in weekly mentorship activities, complete a capstone project, and engage in professional development sessions. By providing students with internships offering applied experience in museum-based positions, the program will strengthen the talent pipeline for cultural institutions and support North Carolina’s competitive labor market.