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News ReleaseAug. 4, 2003 PNM Internship Can Be Electrifying
Albuquerque: An internship at PNM can lead to unforeseen career opportunities, maybe even to CEO. After all, current PNM Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Sterba started with the company as an intern 26 years ago. As part of a five-year recruitment plan, PNM is hiring summer interns to position for future staffing needs based on a significant number of employees approaching retirement. This summer, interns from throughout New Mexico and beyond are putting their classroom teachings to the test, as they take on projects in engineering, information technology, organizational learning and communications. While interns at PNM are nothing new, 2003 marked the second summer of a concerted effort to introduce college students to the utility industry and the culture at PNM. This spring, more than 200 students applied for 30 PNM internships. "It's no big secret that the nation's work force as a whole is aging," said Sterba, a 1977 PNM engineering intern. "It is only good business sense to find college students with an interest in our industry and begin cultivating them. They are our future." For intern Derek Stout, a recent New Mexico State University (NMSU) electrical engineering graduate, a PNM internship is a way to gain hands-on experience in a corporate learning environment. It is like a test drive for an engineering job, perhaps at PNM, he said. "I am definitely looking at PNM as an option,"
said Stout. "Most of the employees I know enjoy working
here, and I can see why they choose to stay at PNM for their
entire career." The average length of stay for PNM employees
is just under 15 years. Many of the employees have worked
here for 30 years. Fellow NMSU Aggies Ryan Orosco and Cardiel Trevizo, both majoring in engineering, are mapping PNM's electric system to pave the way for future infrastructure growth. Lobo Amanda Whichard, a management information systems major at the University of New Mexico, is building an internal Web site from scratch that will be utilized by a division of the Information Technology department. She likes the way PNM runs its day-to-day operations. "Coming to PNM this summer was a good choice for me," Whichard said. "I definitely believe I have found a company whose employees find their work and atmosphere important and enjoying." PNM interns receive competitive wages, with the exact amount depending on education level and field of study. "Over the last two years PNM's intern program has evolved into something more than summer employment for college students," Intern Staffing Coordinator Melanie Jackson said. "Interns are given real-life projects that affect the company's business. PNM's interns have the opportunity to establish themselves for future employment and to become engaged in being part of what the company is all about." The growth of the program has been evident. This year, one intern from Iowa and another from North Carolina, having no ties with New Mexico, have taken internships with PNM. After last summer, three interns were qualified for permanent positions and were hired for various positions within the company. PNM's interns gain much more than valuable, meaningful work experience; they also tour PNM facilities, participate in special events such as speakers' luncheons, community service projects, management meetings and leadership and public speaking classes. Students wishing to apply for a 2004 summer internship should apply online at PNM.com beginning in November. PNM is the principal subsidiary of PNM Resources, an energy holding company based in Albuquerque. PNM provides natural gas service to 441,000 gas customers and electric utility service to 385,000 customers in New Mexico. The company also sells power on the wholesale market in the Western U.S. PNM Resources stock is traded primarily on the NYSE under the symbol PNM.
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