What It's Like to Be a Knapheide Intern

September 11, 2026

Knapheide Internship Program 2026 Orientation Group

From Welding to Volunteering, Interns Get the Knapheide Experience

Each summer, around 20 interns join Knapheide where they contribute to the various teams.

Key Takeaways

Many Knapheide interns stepped away from their departments to train in a skill they may not need for their career, but it is one vital for the company.

They spent a week at the Knapheide Training Center for Weld Training.

There they learned welding basics in both classroom and hand-on instruction, as well as spent some time learning how to paint in the virtual reality paint simulator.

“I was surprised at how much goes into welding, like the different types of welds, techniques and materials,” said Jeronimo Martinez Barragan, an intern with IT.

Even with welding experience, Jaden Crawford, an intern with Specialty Product Engineering, honed her skills.

“My welds were decent before, but now they are a lot tighter and a lot better,” Crawford said.

After completing the training, they appreciated all the work that goes into manufacturing bodies each day.

“I don’t think I could do it for eight hours a day,” said Wyatt Walsh, an intern with IT, with a laugh. “It’s nice and easy if you’re just welding straight across the table.”

At the end of the week, their skills were judged by the instructors at the Training Center.

Coming away with Best of Welding was second-year intern Evan Pennewell who is spending the summer with Specialty Product Engineering.

“It’s really taught me how to weld good consistently and make a product that will work every time,” Pennewell said. “It’s a critical skill to have and to know as a mechanical engineer. It puts you in the fabricators’ shoes.”

Getting On-The-Job Experience

The 21 interns joined Knapheide at the end of May. After an orientation where they learn about Knapheide and tour its facilities in the Quincy, Ill., area, they worked in their departments contributing to the various teams.

“We’re learning so much and getting real-world experience,” Martinez Barragan said. “Everyone who works here is just incredibly smart and super helpful. They love to be here, and just getting to work in this environment every single day is just something that I really don’t take for granted.”

“My favorite part is meeting new people. Everyone is so intelligent and just making new connections is an experience,” Crawford said. “It helps you know yourself.”

Each intern is assigned a mentor to help guide and answer questions throughout their time at Knapheide.

Interns also took part in speed networking where they met with employees from other departments to learn what they do and to network with them.

A VP panel allowed the interns to ask for career advice, as well as what they see in the future for Knapheide and the industry.

Though much of the internship is driven toward career development, interns spent a day at Horizons Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry volunteering, as well as a social at the KC Range where they discovered who can drive a golf ball the farthest.

From Internship to Career

Several Knapheide employees who interned here joined full time after graduating from college.

Carter Holt interned in the Design Automation Engineering Department in 2025. He is now a Design Automation Specialist I.

“The internship gave me the opportunity to apply the skills I learned in school in a real-world setting,” Holt said. “I was able to develop valuable technical and professional skills. The willingness of everyone I worked with to help me when I needed it was what confirmed I wanted to come back to Knapheide.”

As an intern in Knapheide’s IT Department from 2016 to 2019, Emily Entrup started with the IT Help Desk where she supported employees’ day-to-day technology needs. She later moved to Programming.

After graduating, she came on full time in Programming where she is a Senior Software Engineer.

“The most valuable part of my internship was the opportunity to experience what a career in IT would actually look like before graduating,” Entrup said. “Being able to work in both Help Desk and Programming allowed me to explore different areas of IT and gain a better understanding of where my interests and strengths would fit best after graduation.”

The 2026 Knapheide Internship Program resulted in three interns transitioning to full-time employment with the company upon graduation from the program.

Requirements for internships vary between departments, but most require at least one or two years of completed college coursework.

Look for internship opportunities on the Knapheide job listings website starting in February.