// The model, step by step

From classroom to employment, one structured path.

Defense Interns is the intermediary between students and the defense industry. We handle recruitment, certification training, employer placement, and mentorship, so an intern's only job is to learn and perform. Here is exactly how the model works, step by step.

// The Intern Journey

6 steps

Six steps from applicant to hireable.

Every intern moves through the same defined sequence. No guesswork, no cold applications, no wondering what comes next.

Phase 1 · Selection

Apply and get selected

Candidates apply through a partner institution or directly. Selection is based on a short application, an unofficial transcript, a technical self-assessment, and a structured interview with the Defense Interns coordinator and a host mentor.

Phase 2 · Onboarding

Onboard and begin certification training

Interns complete orientation and begin structured certification training delivered through our training partner. Every intern starts working toward an industry credential aligned to the DoD 8570/8140 framework from day one.

Phase 3 · Rotation A

First host employer placement

The intern is placed at their first defense contractor host site for a six-month rotation. They perform real, supervised technical work under a designated mentor with at least five years of relevant experience.

Phase 4 · Rotation B

Second host employer placement

The intern rotates to a second host employer for another six months, gaining exposure to a different facet of the defense industry, a different team, and a different technical environment. Breadth, not just depth.

Phase 5 · Mentorship

Continuous mentorship and check-ins

Throughout both rotations, interns meet weekly with their host mentor and participate in the structured mentorship cadence run by Defense Interns, including mid-point and final performance evaluations.

Phase 6 · Placement

Job placement and outcome tracking

At completion, interns leave credentialed, experienced, and connected. Host employers have an optional hiring pathway, and Defense Interns tracks each graduate's employment outcome for a full 12 months.

It depends where you are starting from.

We take high school students and college students, and the two are not the same placement wearing different names. Different hours, different paperwork, different thing at the end of it.

High school

Students in high school, generally 16 and over.

A paid placement at a defense contractor that runs alongside school and is built to line up with Maryland's youth apprenticeship programme, so the hours can count towards graduation rather than sitting outside it.

What a student gets

Paid work at the host employer - never unpaid, and never below minimum wage.
A named mentor at the company who is responsible for your training, not just your supervision.
Reviews during the placement rather than only at the end, so nothing at the end is a surprise.
Safety instruction before you do anything, and work that is legal for your age.

What the program asks

Keep passing your classes. The placement does not replace school and cannot be a reason for falling behind in it.
Turn up, and tell the employer and your school coordinator when you cannot.
Get yourself there. Transport is yours to arrange - talk to us early if that is the thing in the way, because it often is and it is usually solvable.
If you are under 18 you will need a work permit. Your school helps with this.

Built to line up with the Apprenticeship Maryland Program

A minimum of 450 paid hours with the employer.
At least minimum wage for every hour worked.
One credit for the related classroom instruction and three for the on-the-job hours.
A school coordinator who visits the workplace at least twice a quarter.

Our high school track is built to line up with the Apprenticeship Maryland Program. Whether a particular student's hours count towards credit is agreed between their school system and the state - we help with the paperwork, but we do not decide it.

Read the state's youth apprenticeship agreement

Apply - High school

College

Students at a college or university, at any year.

A paid rotation at a defense contractor, paired with an industry certification you keep. Built around a semester or a summer rather than around a school timetable.

What a student gets

Paid work on something real. Not shadowing, and not a project invented to occupy an intern.
A mentor inside the team you are placed with.
An industry certification in your discipline - cybersecurity, cloud, IT or engineering - which is yours whatever happens next.
A rotation that is designed to end with a conversation about what comes after it.

What the program asks

Be enrolled, and stay enrolled, unless you have graduated into the placement.
Be able to work in the United States. Some host employers have further requirements of their own and will say so before you are matched.
Turn up and see the rotation through. A placement that ends early costs the next student the seat.

Apply - College

// The Rotation Model

Why interns rotate through two employers.

01 Breadth of exposure. A single internship shows one team, one tech stack, one way of working. Two rotations show the industry from multiple angles.
02 A wider network. Each rotation means a new set of mentors, colleagues, and references, doubling the professional network an intern builds.
03 Two hiring pathways. Instead of one employer deciding on one intern, two host employers get to know the intern as a potential hire.
04 Adaptability. Moving between environments builds the versatility defense employers need, the ability to onboard fast and contribute in unfamiliar territory.

// Who Does What

Three parties, one shared outcome.

The model works because each party has a clearly defined role. Defense Interns carries the administrative load so interns and employers can focus on the work.

The Intern

Learns · Performs · Earns

Completes certification training toward an industry credential
Performs real, supervised technical work at host sites
Rotates through two defense contractors over twelve months
Meets weekly with mentors and tracks their own progress

Defense Interns

The Intermediary

Recruits, screens, and selects interns from partner institutions
Administers wages, compliance, and all program reporting
Coordinates certification training and employer placements
Runs the mentorship cadence and tracks 12-month outcomes

The Host Employer

Mentors · Hosts · Hires

Designates a qualified mentor with 5+ years of experience
Provides equipment, facilities, and real project work
Participates in check-ins and performance evaluations
Holds an optional hiring pathway at program completion

// The Credentials

DoD 8570 / 8140 aligned

Every intern leaves with proof.

Certification training is built into the program, not bolted on. Interns work toward credentials aligned to the DoD 8570/8140 framework, the same credentials defense contractors are required to staff against. Which ones an intern takes depends on their track and where they are placed.

CompTIA

Security+

// Aligned to the DoD 8570 / 8140 workforce framework

// Ready To Start

The path is clear. Take the first step.

Apply to become an intern, or partner with us as a host employer and bring this structured pipeline into your organization.

Apply as an Intern Become a Host Employer