The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE)’s Internship Program is a partnership with the National Park Service and other Federal agencies with cultural resource protection and public land management responsibilities. The purpose is to accomplish needed and important work on federally protected lands while providing program participants with professional experience in their chosen fields. Interns work under the guidance of agency staff who are subject area experts to carry out the mission of the park.

To be eligible, applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old (or 35 if a veteran) when starting the internship, a post-secondary student (certificate program, 2-year, 4-year, or graduate level), or a recent graduate (within the past 12 months at the time of application), and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.  

The Conservation Intern at Harpers Ferry Center assists Senior NPS Museum Conservators with object handling, object photography (before and after treatment digital imaging), report writing (condition reports, treatment proposals, and treatment reports), database entry, lab maintenance, and basic treatment steps for a variety of NPS artifacts on loan to Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) for conservation treatment from park sites service-wide. Training will be provided in all areas listed above.

The position will include conservation treatment of objects from multiple NPS sites working in five specialized conservation labs (Textiles, Paper/Books, Wooden Artifacts, Organic Objects, Inorganic Objects). Basic treatment steps may include a variety of surface cleaning methods, mending, filling losses, reattaching loose elements, applying surface coatings, and humidifying/flattening under the guidance of a Senior NPS Museum Conservator. The types of objects/materials will vary depending on the needs of the parks, but could include textiles, paper/books, ceramics/glass, metals, leather, basketry, taxidermy, and wooden artifacts/furniture. Training in scientific analysis will be provided as needed. The labs are outfitted with XRF, FTIR, microscopy, microchemical testing, and Oddy testing stations, which may be used to assist in material identification and treatment decisions.

The intern will also gain collections management experience assisting the conservation registrar with tracking and moving objects, and packing them for shipment.

This position is ideal for those early in their conservation career with some previous experience in a conservation lab seeking to gain more experience before entering the job market or a graduate program in art conservation. The position is almost all in-person, but telework days will be granted upon request for report writing, etc.

This position is currently funded for 1045 hours. A background security investigation may be required before the start date. All NCPE internships accrue 4 hours of PTO for every 80 hours worked.

Qualified NCPE interns who complete their internships may count their position towards earning a Public Land Corps (PLC) Non-Competitive Hiring Authority certificate.  Once earned, the PLC certificate can be used to apply for eligible Federal permanent, temporary, or term positions. Visit https://preservenet.org/ncpe-internships/ for details about this benefit. Successful completion of the internship does not guarantee Federal employment.