As De’Ohndre Jackson looks out the window of PCL’s site office, high above downtown Denver’s 16^th Street project, he reflects on how far he has come in just seven years with PCL Construction.

“I have really loved the culture since day one,” says Jackson. “That's why I have chosen to stay here and build my career here.”

The project outside his window is a large-scale rehabilitation of a key piece of core civic infrastructure in the Colorado capital: a pedestrian and transit corridor that’s home to more than 300 stores and 50 restaurants. The upgrades are designed to enhance safety, pedestrian mobility and downtown aesthetics. It’s one of the highest-profile projects in which Jackson has been involved.

“I knew what I wanted to do as soon as I came out of school,” says Jackson. “I wanted to be a project manager.” 

Jackson achieved that goal a couple of years ago, after a career journey that began with an internship.

He graduated from Colorado State University with a construction management degree. In the summer of 2018, Jackson started as an intern with PCL Construction. For his first assignment, he joined a team building a new maintenance campus for the Colorado Department of Transportation in the small mountain town of Silverthorne.

Even though he was still a student at the time, Jackson says the people around him treated him as part of the team; he was actually doing the job, not just watching others do it.

“As an intern, at first that's intimidating, but it also instills a lot of confidence in you that your team believes in you,” he says. “My field engineer told me, ‘By midway through your internship, I want you to be able to do my job without me,’ and that did happen. I was able to fill in for him at times.  It's huge to realize so early on that I can succeed in the career I’m pursuing. I think PCL does a really good job of setting interns up for that. It pushes you to become the best at what you do and ultimately proves to our clients that PCL is the best choice for their projects.”

In 2015, while working towards an industrial engineering degree at California Polytechnic State University, Maria Ocampo was awarded an internship with PCL Industrial in Bakersfield.

During that internship, she worked in a fabrication shop. Her keen interest in Lean concepts — focused on maximizing value and minimizing waste — helped her find opportunities to increase efficiency.

“I was able to use a lot of the material I was learning in school to improve operational performance, so I felt like I was bringing value to the team,” says Ocampo.

Ocampo completed two internships with PCL, before graduating and joining the Industrial team full-time in April of 2017. Initially, she worked in estimating, before becoming a field engineer. She’s now a project controls manager, keeping schedules and budgets on track.

“I think my internship helped me create vital relationships,” she says. “I feel like there were a lot of people who believed I would be a good addition to the company. My internship really prepared me to join the company and the industry.”

The experiences of Jackson, Ocampo and Lamy aren’t exclusive. Interns feel valued because they are valued, according to Human Resources Talent Director Jaime McGavin.

“There are no endless coffee runs here,” she explains. “Interns are entrusted with real responsibilities. Whether you're an estimator or a field engineer student, you are treated just like somebody in those roles. You're given the coaching and support to set you up to succeed, and when those students go on to join our team permanently, they can step right into the role because they know our processes, our systems and our people.”

In the United States, PCL’s College Program welcomed more than 250 students as interns last year across its offices and project sites. Programs begin in the summer and can span up to 16 months, offering roles in disciplines including construction operations, estimating, accounting, human resources and communications.

Throughout their placements, interns receive ongoing mentorship and professional development and take part in engagement and networking events. Awards are handed out in each office for Interns of the Year, and those winners move on to compete for the PCL U.S. Intern of the Year award.

When interns bring hard work and talent, they are often rewarded. Last year alone, the company hired more than 150 former interns.

 “This is one of many ways PCL is building the best builders,” says McGavin. “Instead of just waiting for a pipeline of talent to come to us, we choose the brightest students, and we support and develop their skills and experience. We invest in our team members right from the start, demonstrating our commitment to their professional development and our long-term success as a company. Ultimately, it’s our way of ensuring our partners and clients benefit from having the highest quality talent, the best attitudes and the most motivated people on every project.”

Across offices, departments and countries, there are currently more than 900 full-time PCL employees who are former interns. It’s clear there is something that keep people with the company for years.

“When you work for a large organization like ours, you can go places," explains McGavin. You can cross borders, you can end up in Australia, you can end up in Canada or anywhere across the United States. And we have so many stories of interns who have done that.”

For Jackson, the key to keeping people with PCL from internship to retirement is the team. He says since day one he’s been surrounded by a group that takes pride in building and serving the community — while driving innovation and excellence but also enjoying the ride.

“I think that’s just the culture here,” he says. “Not only do we build better than other companies, but it’s really the people. We like to work hard, we like to have fun, and we love to build, and that all starts with our internships.”

A memory of a positive internship can go a long way when that former intern becomes a senior team member. Jackson has now taken on two interns, with a goal of making sure their experience is as rewarding as his was.

“It's just really important to me to pass the torch,” he says. “Someone gave me a great internship experience, so I want to ensure I’m helping someone else learn, succeed and have fun, and most of all, to get all the experience that they need.”  

With more than 1,100 interns per year, PCL’s internship program continues to grow. Interns-turned-leaders are now mentoring the next generation — industry leaders who will build the next great sports facilities, change skylines, and blaze new trails towards the energy transition. And it all starts with finding the best students, nurturing their creativity and talents, and setting them up for a career they can be proud of.

Learn more about PCL’s intern opportunities HERE.

Check out PCL’s student openings HERE.