About the role#
The Michigan AFL-CIO offers a paid internship for students interested in labor communications. This position focuses on learning, observation, research, and administrative support. You will work under the direction of the Graphic Designer to assist in developing visual content for earned, owned, and digital media. This is an educational role designed to provide hands-on experience while supporting the labor movement.
What you'll do#
- Develop draft graphics for social media, websites, email, presentations, and events.
- Translate communications goals and creative briefs into effective visual concepts.
- Create supervised design concepts, mockups, and variations.
- Adapt creative materials into different sizes, formats, and platform specifications.
- Participate in brainstorming sessions and design critiques to receive coaching.
- Gain experience with Adobe Creative Cloud and other design tools.
- Organize and prepare photography, illustrations, logos, and other visual assets.
- Apply accessibility, readability, and brand-consistency principles to your work.
- Maintain organized design files, templates, and creative archives.
- Conduct research on labor issues, public policy, and current events.
- Assist with fact-checking, proofreading, and administrative tasks like tracking content calendars.
- Complete supervised learning projects to build your writing, editing, and digital media skills.
What you'll need#
- Current undergraduate or masters student with at least sophomore standing.
- Strong writing and editing skills.
- A commitment to strengthening Michigan’s labor movement.
- Familiarity with social media platforms and digital publishing tools.
- Ability to manage multiple administrative tasks.
- A willingness to learn and grow in communications, public affairs, and journalism.
- Basic experience with graphic design or video editing tools like Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or CapCut is preferred.
- Familiarity with digital organizing tools or knowledge of Michigan politics and labor unions is a plus.
Location & details#
- Location: Lansing, Michigan.
- Modality: Hybrid.
- Commitment: Part-time, 10 to 20 hours per week for 12 to 14 weeks.
- Term: Rolling.
About Michigan AFL-CIO
The Michigan AFL-CIO operates as the state federation of labor based in Lansing. It represents more than 1,000,000 active and retired members across 59 unions. The organization advocates for economic and social justice for working families. It supports union bargaining efforts and assists workers in forming new unions.
How to get in at Michigan AFL-CIO
Securing an internship at the Michigan AFL-CIO requires staying ahead of the application queue. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you apply among the first, as early applicants get seen before the pile grows. This timing is critical for competitive policy and labor roles. You can improve your chances by identifying the recruiters behind the company's roles. Intern Insider surfaces these contacts so you can reach out directly to ask about the role or a referral, which materially improves response rates compared to submitting a cold application.
