Understudy Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Paid ODOT College Internship - Civil Engineering (Multiple PN's)
Positions available for 2026 Fall/Winter Semester
Who We Are:
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) oversees building and maintaining the nation's 5th largest interstate system and the 3rd largest number of bridges. We take pride in providing safe and efficient roadways for the people of Ohio and to the people traveling within our great state. And in order to achieve that, we do A LOT! From Planning, Engineering, Construction to Law, HR, Communications, IT and everything in between, ODOT has a career for just about everyone. ODOT employees are hardworking, passionate, and dedicated to public service. We strive to achieve our agency's vision every day: To be a long term, reliable, professional, and highly productive organization.
ODOT's Mission Statement:
To provide a transportation system that is safe, accessible, well maintained, and positioned for the future.
Benefits to You:
-PAID Internship with the rate is based on your rank in school
-Flexible hours based around your school schedule
-Real world experience
-Our interns work year-round and are eligible to participate in the intern program long as they are enrolled in an accredited college or university and are in good academic standing
-The opportunity to work on an important mission
This is a temporary position involving various duties that will either supplement the student's major field of study &/or provide experience that is a useful addition to the student's education and meaningful preparation for future professional employment.
Construction:
Student will receive training in proper procedures for inspection of work being done by contractors (e.g. widening & resurfacing projects, hazard elimination (safety upgrad ing), signing, guardrail, interse ctions, drainage facilities, forms & reinforcing steel; concrete placement on structures, flexible & rigid pavement; assist in bituminous plants, perform test on concrete & soil; assists in surveying, etc.
Design:
Student will serve as an understudy or assistant on small projects, receives training on procedures & performs specific technical tasks as assigned (e.g., operates a PC & CADD (Microstation) system & can perform duties on them independently as well as call up, work with & insert files; copy, update & revise existing drawings on the CADD database; create new drawings into the CADD database using sketches &/or ports of preexisting drawings, some of which may be on CADD already), performs calculations. Assists with engineering studies & preliminary engineering.
Use CADD applications within the District Office assisting in the development of highway reconstruction plans: a) plan & profile sheets of existing & proposed roadway improvements; b) highway & bridge related detail drawings; c) tables, summaries & general notes; d) mapping existing & proposed routes; e) finalization of plan sheets in reproducible form (plotting).
Planning :
In Planning & Programs work unit under supervision & training, assists with a variety of planning activities involving traffic engineering studies ( e.g., prepares and reviews information on highway safety & speed zones; conducts traffic counts; collects & reviews field data; verifies sign locations & pavement marking locations; photographs site of proposed projects; researches & analyzes accidents & traffic signal warrants; participates in field reviews & project scoping). Assists in the scanning of plans and documents in the permits database. Assists in the processing of legislation issues and MPO matters. Assists in the Environmental area concerning the selection of potential noise walls for study, takes noise readings and updates the data base. Performs field work on selected safety locations including speed studies, pavement marking, sign and signal location. Enter and manipulate data base for environmental noise walls, safety and congestion locations and bridge conditions.
Becomes familiar with PC based & mainframe CADD systems, micro station, and various software packages used by the District, in collection of traffic engineering data & the preparation of highway plans.
Survey:
Under supervision & training, operates survey measuring devices (i.e., rod, chain, tape, plumb bob) & instruments (e.g., transit, automatic level; electronic distance measurer, total station, data collector) in order to obtain survey data & calculate precise measurements (e.g., elevations, horizontal & vertical lines, cross sections, curves angles).
Becomes familiar with PC based & mainframe CADD systems, micro-station, and various software packages used by the District, in the collection of survey data & the preparation of highway plans.
Operates state vehicle to travel to & from survey sites; clears brush & foliage from line of survey; locates &/or sets monuments, pins or stones; marks survey points for identification; takes field notes on topographic sketches; sets up traffic control (e.g., signs, cones); flags traffic through survey area
Performs support functions in record keeping, maintains accurate data of work performed, organizes materials, and compiles information to assist in report preparation.
This Position is Unclassified per Section 124.11(A)(29)
At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website ! Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period .
• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
• Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
• Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
• Public Retirement Systems ( such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS ) & Optional Deferred Compensation ( Ohio Deferred Compensation )

*Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.
Qualifications
Must currently be enrolled in a college or university and in good academic standing.
Must show proof of valid driver's license in order to operate state vehicle.
Job Skills:
Technical Skills: Transportation, Civil Engineering
Professional Skills: Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Attention to Detail, Listening, Reasoning