Internships help fill Class Is' rail talent pipeline
8/23/2024
By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor
It’s that time of year when high school and college students are wrapping up summer internship experiences at businesses and corporations across North America.
Internships have long served as a prime way for students to earn relevant work experience over the summer, explore a potential career path, and develop and refine skills that will give them an edge when applying for jobs post-graduation.
For young people interested in working for major corporations, North America’s largest railroads hire hundreds of students from a range of academic majors to fill internships across a variety of departments.
Of course, interns aren’t the only ones gaining something worthwhile. All the Class Is have internship programs that help them develop a pipeline of future full-time employees in what remains a competitive labor market. It also gives them a way to gauge who the younger generations are and what’s important to them.
“For decades, BNSF has seen the tremendous value interns bring to our workplace. With fresh ideas and the ability to provide input and insight into large projects, we know interns can make a big difference,” BNSF Railway Co. human resource officials said in an email. “We continue to provide exciting opportunities and exposure to rich development throughout the summer for those who join us.”
BNSF internships give students a chance to jumpstart their future careers, develop leadership skills and be exposed to the diverse job opportunities available at railroads, company officials said. Former interns make up a “large portion” of full-time hires, including in the company’s management training programs.
Recently, RailPrime reached out to the Class Is to learn about their internship programs. We received responses from BNSF, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.
NS’ interns (shown in yellow vests) receive real-world experience, which allows them to work alongside professionals in the students’ chosen degree fields. Norfolk Southern RailwayBNSF Railway Co.
On average, BNSF has 75 to 125 interns working in a variety of operations and corporate positions every summer, company officials said. Currently, internship opportunities are designed for college students who have completed at least two years of a bachelor’s degree program. Internships are paid positions.
BNSF recruits students from a variety of academic majors, including engineering tracks (civil, industrial and mechanical), supply chain management, marketing, human resources, accounting, finance and computer science. Undergraduate or graduate students interested in developing their leadership skills must have a minimum 2.75 GPA to be considered, BNSF officials say.
Internships are “highly competitive and coveted,” so BNSF encourages students to apply early. This year, the company anticipates posting 2025 internship opportunities later this month.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
CPKC hires on average at least 50 interns per year. All interns are paid, and opportunities are offered year-round. The company recruits interns who are enrolled in college or university, technical/vocational school or graduate studies. CPKC finds potential interns at career fairs held at colleges, universities, technical and vocational schools, and posts the positions on school job boards as well as on the company’s website.
Internship opportunities are spread across many departments. Those that use interns the most include finance and accounting, engineering, supply chain, information technology, real estate and operations, according to CPKC’s HR team.
In fall 2022, CPKC launched a formal “early talent strategy” that focuses on educating students at the high school, technical/vocational school and college/university levels about careers in railroading. Since then, CPKC representatives have attended more than 280 events across Canada and the United States.
“We have networked with approximately 23,000 students, faculty and community groups who serve students. Our efforts include diversity groups as well,” said CPKC’s HR officials. “These efforts have resulted in approximately 100 student intern hires.”
CPKC’s early talent strategy focuses on interns receiving experiences that include real-life scenarios in business and operations that provide opportunities to build successful careers, they said.
“Our early talent strategy is critical to us building the future workforce at CPKC,” the HR team members added.
Competition among students for internships is high for interested applicants, company officials said.
CSX
CSX hires 40 to 50 paid interns annually, mostly over the summer; however, some interns work year-round based on departmental needs. The company recruits undergraduate and graduate students to fill internships across HR, finance, technology, sales and marketing, legal, public affairs, operations and other departments.
The company prefers students with majors in a field related to the specific internship. However, recruiters strive to find “the best talent” and students who demonstrate creativity, problem-solving skills and a willingness to work on a team. Applications for internships are accepted eight to nine months before the program start date, CSX officials said.
CSX has reshaped its internship program in recent years to coincide with the company’s ONE CSX culture. Additionally, interns receive insight into freight transportation and the roles railroads hold in the nation’s economy, CSX officials said.
Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway hires on average over 100 interns annually who are split across the academic terms of spring, summer and fall. All interns are paid. The Class I recruits college-level interns who range from the freshmen level through graduate students enrolled in doctoral programs. NS gives “strong consideration” to previous interns for its management trainee positions and early-in-career full-time offerings, NS officials said.
Although the company doesn’t currently hire high-school age students for paid internships, NS helps educate high-schoolers about rail-career opportunities.
When recruiting or interviewing students for internships, the company’s HR representatives look for individuals who display leadership potential.
“Coachability and adaptability are very important traits we look for in intern candidates outside of technical skills,” said NS officials. “While engineering students fill many of our opportunities, we also heavily recruit for students majoring in computer science, information systems, accounting, finance, supply chain and logistics — just to name a few.”
NS identifies potential interns through early talent platforms such as Handshake, Simplicity and LinkedIn, as well as career fairs. Students can apply early in the semester as soon as internship applications go live on the nscorp.com website. Internship opportunities are typically posted and offered one to two semesters before start dates. As at other Class Is, competition for interns and internships at NS is strong. Applicants go through a rigorous selection process before being chosen.
NS internships are designed to give students real-world experience, allowing them to engage directly in the work of professionals in their chosen degree fields. Unlike programs in which interns are used to spend an entire semester working on one project or perform routine administrative tasks, the NS internships immerse students in a range of tasks and responsibilities that are relevant to their potential career interests, company officials say.
“By the end of the program, we aim for students to have a clearer understanding of what a post-education job in their degree might entail and better insight into whether this is the type of career they want to pursue,” NS officials said.
For example, this summer the railroad put interns to work in the NS Network Operations Center strategy rooms, where they conducted real-time analytics analysis. Engineering interns participated in track inspections and construction projects on the ballast line, while others worked in the railroad’s locomotive shops. NS welcomed 65 interns from 32 schools across the United States to the 2024 summer internship program.
“Our internship program serves as a crucial pipeline for early talent, feeding into our entry-level trainee roles and fostering the development of future leaders,” NS officials said. “Through this program, we identify long-term, committed individuals who will help propel the business forward amidst our ongoing transformations.”
Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad hires about 100 student interns per year for year-round, hybrid or summer internship opportunities. Intern positions are offered to students at the high school, college and graduate levels.
UP seeks student applicants from a wide range of academic areas of study, including in nearly all disciplines of engineering; supply chain and logistics; technology; marketing and sales; finance and accounting; human resources; and business.
“All interns work on value-added projects and core work, allowing us to improve safety and service to deliver operational excellence,” UP officials said.
UP routinely evaluates and improves its internship program. The program has received national accolades from Handshake, the job search platform, and Vault, the career services platform.
