The government will extend its internship programs to improve young people’s chances of securing public-sector employment.
Revised guidelines for the Government Internship Program shift the initiative from short-term work exposure to structured professional development. The updated rules were issued through a department order signed by the labor secretary on July 14.
Under the new policy, internships will run for a minimum of three months and up to six months. Engagements may be renewed for an additional six months under specified conditions.
Returning interns can be readmitted based on a partner agency’s recommendation. They will be assigned work designed to build competencies for potential contractual, casual, or permanent government roles.
The program aims to strengthen the employability of young workers and first-time job seekers through meaningful public-sector experience. Participants are deployed across local government units, public schools, public hospitals, and regional offices of national agencies.
To support continued development, renewal recommendations must include a performance evaluation, a skills assessment, and a stated intent to hire the intern as a contractual, temporary, or regular employee. Any absorption remains subject to the intern’s willingness and civil service regulations.
The department also introduced protections for interns whose engagements end through no fault of their own. If an internship is cut short by force majeure or extraordinary circumstances, the agency will facilitate a transfer to another partner office.
Such transfers depend on the availability of a suitable agency and a new agreement. The replacement internship cannot exceed the unserved days of the original term.
To date, more than 14,800 individuals have taken part in the government internship program. Officials said the revised rules are intended to deliver competency-based opportunities that better prepare youth for long-term public service careers.
