RMC internships provide engineering students a unique experience in the world of today’s technically advanced reliability and maintenance fields. Student interns gain practical work experience, earn a competitive summer salary, and form important relationships with RMC member companies.
Interns are placed with RMC member companies who are leaders in the development of best practices and advanced technologies. Each internship begins with a one-week overview training course taught by UT faculty and industry experts. Students then spends twelve weeks on the job with the member company, for a total of thirteen-weeks.
The RMC works closely with the Office of Professional Practice to locate, orient, and place interested engineering students with various RMC member companies. Companies wishing to request an intern must complete our intern request form.
See below for more information about RMC internships.
Benefits for Students:
- Gain practical work experience in an exciting, emerging high-tech world
- Form relationships with RMC member companies (potential employers)
- Graduate within the traditional four years
Some examples of typical summer intern tasks include:
- Use state-of-the-art laser alignment and vibration analysis equipment for machinery condition monitoring
- Use infa-red thermography equipment to detect high resistance connections in electrical gear and temperature gradients in other equipment
- Use other advanced technologies and equipment to monitor equipment health and eliminate failures
- Help develop and implement artificial intelligence-based diagnostic computer algorithms
- Help develop, design, and/or implement new “smart” equipment or instrumentation
- Assist in conducting assessments, studies, and projects in various industrial settings
Students wishing to participate must be officially enrolled in engineering and have completed at least their freshman year. For information about student orientation and a student application to the program, contact the Office of Professional Practice at coop@utk.edu.
Benefits for companies:
- Opportunity to evaluate and develop relationships with outstanding engineering students who are potential employees
- Supplement the workforce during summer for project support
- Obtain free matching seat in one-week overview training session
- Expose existing company employees to modern reliability and maintainability concepts through student interns and one-week overview training
Companies wishing to participate in the intern program must be RMC members. Interested non-members can apply for membership here.
- Complete an interview with the RMC academic coordinator.
- Complete an intensive one-week RME summer training course (“boot camp”) on the UT campus.
- Complete a twelve-week summer work assignment at an RMC member company site.
- Complete a post internship report. Note: your summer internship is not complete until you have submitted this report to the RMC.
Applications are accepted from September through February, or until the last available position for the coming summer is filled.
To apply, you must register with the Office of Professional Practice in the College of Engineering. Once you have completed the registration process, you may schedule an interview with the RMC academic coordinator.
In the process of matching applicants to available positions, the RMC academic coordinator acts as a broker. He or she works with the RMC host company for each available position to determine which applicant is best suited to the position. This process involves telephone conversations, email exchanges and reviewing of résumés until the company is ready to offer the position to an applicant.
If you are being considered for a position, you will be involved in these communications.
Each match between position and applicant must be approved by the academic coordinator. If you are offered a position, you may tell the company whether or not you’re interested. If you are interested, the match is not complete until you obtain the academic coordinator’s approval.
If you are selected for an RMC internship, there are several things you must do to prepare. Take ownership of this process; do not wait until the last minute:
- Determine where will you stay during boot camp (residence halls are closed following final exams)
Ask your company contact about the following items:
- What paperwork (physical exam, drug test, etc.) is required by the company?
- Where will you live for the summer? Can your company help you find suitable housing?
- How will you get to and from your summer residence and the work site?
- What will be your pay rate, what date will you be on the payroll, when will you receive your first paycheck, and what period will the first paycheck cover?
Your company contact may be a technical person who knows little about the HR aspects of your assignment. Or, your company contact may be an HR person who knows little about the technical aspects of your assignment. If your company contact cannot answer all your questions, he or she should be able to get the answers from someone else or to connect you with someone who has the answers.
Questions to ask yourself: How much money will you need to get by until your summer paycheck is enough to support you? Will you have to make deposits for utilities and/or rent before you move to your summer residence? How much for rent, groceries, etc?
If your host company applies for an RMC intern for the following summer, and if they request you, and if you want to return, then you may return. If you do not want to return to the same company the following summer, you may request to change companies.
