Native American Internship Program

The Innovation Group has officially begun implementation of its Native American/First Nations Internship Program. TIG has proudly served the Native American community for more than 25 years, always seeking new ways to support tribes in reaching their broader development goals. Tribal members seeking professional careers in gaming are invited to participate in comprehensive studies – involving expansion feasibility, economic development and database analysis – as paid interns side by side with the TIG project team. In addition to offering interns valuable insights to bring back to their careers and operations, the program will also invigorate TIG’s work adding direct Tribal client perspective.

How does it work?
The Innovation Group engages in studies with Native American Indian Tribes and First Nations on a regular basis. Upon engagement in any project work, the following steps can be undertaken to qualify:

• 1. Tribal Leadership (Tribal Council or designated Manager or Economic Development Authority) must submit the name of the internship candidate to The Innovation Group.
  2. Candidates must be Tribal members and should either be in undergraduate or graduate college or university programs in finance, business or a related field; be former graduates of such programs; or currently be serving as staff members in Tribal government or property operations.
  3. Interns will work with The Innovation Group staff, remotely or on-site at a property or in our offices as needed. Project work will be approximately half-time, or 20 hours per week, and will entail background research, demand model building, economic impact analysis, customer database analysis and operational assessments. Current Tribal employees may continue to work half-time in their normal jobs.
  4. Interns will be compensated at the base hourly intern rate at The Innovation Group and technically considered as sub-contractors on project work. Typically, one intern will be approved per project, although on large-scale or long-term initiatives, more than one intern may be appropriate.

What happens when the project and internship are complete?
There may be several outcomes form the Native American Internship Program. When a project and the associated internship are complete, the following may occur:

• 1. Interns should be in a great position to continue to communicate research findings to Tribal Leaders and Members, and track implementation measures for projects in which they were involved.
  2. If the intern is a student or is not currently employed, a relevant position within Tribal property operations or government may become a viable opportunity depending on the needs of the Tribe.
  3. Current employees of Tribes are expected to return to their full-time duties with the new experience they achieved through their internship.

Ultimately, it is The Innovation Group’s intention that its Native American Internship Program will foster self-sufficiency in many areas of Planning and Analysis at the property level and on behalf of Tribal Government. We hope to have meaningful ongoing relationships with former interns and their Tribes, and interested interns may be welcomed back into The Innovation Group as Analysts when relevant positions become available.

For more information about The Innovation Group’s Native American Internship Program, please contact company President Michael Soll, or TIG Native American Division Director Chris Irwin.