The Chicago Architecture Foundation is committed to preparing students and mentors for the internship experience and providing support throughout the summer. In order to match a student's particular skills with a firm's needs, CAF uses teacher recommendations and firm surveys. There is no better preparation for a student interested in a career in the building fields. Under the guidance of their mentors, students build confidence and develop work-based skills, which are directly applicable to the current job market. Numerous former Newhouse interns now have careers in the building industry as a result of entering the competition.
Interns participate in a wide range of educational activities during the summer.
Their horizons expand as they learn about the options available for professional training and development. The Chicago Architecture Foundation organizes field trips, tours, and educational sessions for the interns. These activities are designed to augment the office experience by exposing students to different careers in the buildings fields and educational opportunities. Last summer interns participated in career day, toured a construction site and architecture firm, visited the electrical workers union training center and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and attended a CAF architecture history tour. At career day, Lee Waldrep from IIT's College of Architecture outlined the steps necessary to become a licensed architect.