The EXPLORE winter break programs—our one-day Field Shadowing Program and 2–3 week Career Exploration Project—will be on pause for the 2025–2026 academic year. Contributing factors to this pause include budget and staffing limitations, the retirement of technology systems previously used to manage these programs, and the need to strengthen compliance with safety and risk management requirements for both sponsors and students.
During this time, our office will recalibrate the programs to better meet our goal of providing the widest possible range of new students with meaningful career exploration opportunities and valuable connections with industry partners and alumni.
Supporting students in exploring career paths remains a top priority for ILR. While we work toward launching an updated program model, we encourage employers and alumni to engage with students through other exploratory and networking opportunities:
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CUeLINKS – Create or update your profile so students can connect with you about college life, careers, and more. We will be partnering with AA&D and Cornell Career Services to offer tips/reminders on maximizing your profiles.
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Winter Break Opportunities – If you’d like to host a short-term, paid project or internship over winter break, please post it directly to Handshake (with description, deadlines, and rate of pay). Please include words such as “ILR” and/or “Winter Break” in your ‘job title’. Email ilrcareerrecruiting@cornell.edu for us to further highlight the opportunities to ILR students.
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Credit Internship Program– Consider hosting a semester-long intern through ILR’s Credit Internship Program. Details are available via the Office of Engaged and Experiential Learning.
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Interested in hosting a Career Trek for Cornellians including ILRies? We are seeking hosts between January and March 2026. Please contact Heather Fortenberry, Cornell Career Network, at hao3@cornell.edu for additional information.
Legal Considerations of Internships
When considering students for seasonal and short-term opportunities, employers must comply the Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.