Student Internship Workbook
WALTER WILLIAMS HIGH SCHOOL
Career Services / Career Development
1307 South Church Street
Burlington, NC 27215
(336) 570 - 6161
Introduction
Work-based learning
Work-based learning experiences are a valuable component of Career and Technical Education. Students who participate in work-based learning experiences are prepared to be career focused and globally competitive. Work-based learning experiences provide an integration of core and technical instruction, which enhances the overall curriculum, increases learning, promotes instructional rigor and meets the educational needs of all students.
Alamance Burlington School Systems offers a variety of work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that are available to all high school students. Job Shadowing gives Juniors the opportunity to watch someone work for a day. Job Shadowing normally takes place in November. It is a one day event that may lead to an internship opportunity for the Sr. year. Internships are career-track jobs that link what the student is learning in school to what they are learning in the work-place. Internships are for Jr or Sr. CTE completers or CTE students who are working towards being a completer by graduation. Internship placement should directly align with the student’s cluster. Internships require 135 or more hours of work. Apprenticeships combine school work with on-the-job training. Apprenticeships begin in high school and continue for one or two years after high school. All of these WBL activities can occur during or after school hours.
This Internship Workbook provides information on the internship guidelines at Walter Williams High School, student expectations, instructions for writing measurable learning objectives, and grading rubric.
Internship Guidelines
An internship isa career preparation activity in which students are placed at a worksite for a defined period of time to participate in and observe work firsthand within a given industry. Unlike work experience, internships often allow students to rotate through a number of departments and job functions. Internships provide the student an opportunity to “test-drive” career possibilities, to gain experience in the field they are interested in pursuing, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts,and gain school credit.An internship is an excellent way to determine if the industry and the profession is the best career option to follow before investing a lot of time and money in training and education.
Internships are designed to promote:
• Exploration of a field of interest;
• Exposure to careers and jobs;
• Building occupational knowledge; and
• Building technical skills.
Internships engage students in their own learning and provide multiple opportunities for reflection on the experience, both verbally and in writing. Quality internships are designed to directly support academic learning.
All internships include structured activity before, during and after the program. These activities help ensure that all involved parties have meaningful, productive experiences that result in enriched student learning. Proper planning and preparation, maximization of learning potential and communication, and support for the student and worksite supervisor will help ensure success.
Eligibility: Any eleventh or twelfth grade student with the maturity to work independently in an area of career interest and is in good academic standing may apply to the Internship Program. Students applying for an internship should have a minimum GPA of 2.0 and should not have more than 5 absences. Students will complete an application and briefly explain how the internship is related to their high school and/or career goals. Students must provide their own transportation to and from the internship site. Students participating in the internship program must continue to abide by all school and worksite rules and regulations including but not limited to: attendance policy, tardy policy, and academic eligibility.
Paid or Unpaid: Internships are generally unpaid; students gain school credit upon successful completion of the internship. However if a paid opportunity meets the requirements of the Internship Program, it is acceptable.
Hours of completion: 135 - 180 contact hours are required for one unit of credit.
Internship grade: The Career Development Coordinator (CDC) reviews and assigns a grade to the project and journal/time sheet activities according to the rubric. These grades are averaged with the worksite evaluation to determine a final grade. The Intern Portfolio takes the place of exam, it is mandatory. If it isn’t submitted, intern will fail the course. If 135 hours are not met, intern will fail also.
Where to Intern: The Internship location will be related to the student's high school course work and career objective. Internships must be completed off WWHS campus.
Communication: Communication between all parties is critical for success. Students are required to complete the WBL Information Sheet and return it to the CDC. Ideally, the student, teacher and worksite supervisor should feel comfortable contacting one another whenever the need arises.
Students will notify his/her Career Development Coordinator immediately of any problems that may arise during the course of the Internship. The student will be held responsible for scheduling regular meetings with his/her Career Development Coordinator to discuss their internship.
Workplace Orientation: After securing placement, the student should contact their worksite supervisor to set up an appointment for their workplace orientation. At this orientation, the student will also discuss their learning objectives with their worksite supervisor.
Journal: Student interns will be required to keep weekly journals as part of the evaluation procedure. Journal prompts are provided each week.
**If your weekly journal has not been received by your internship block on Friday, you will be required to stay until the journal has been submitted to Ms.Turner.
Internship Requirements
· Completion of 135 - 180 hours (for 1 unit of credit) of work-based experience.
· Completion of weekly journal entries
· Completion of bi-monthly time sheets
· Completion of an exit project that reflects the student intern’s goals, interest, and area of career exploration.
· Evaluations
· Portfolio (mandatory)-failure to complete will result in failing the class. This counts as exam grade.
*Failure to abide by the guidelines and policies found in this document may result in the student being removed from the Internship Program. In the event violations occur, the student intern, counselor, parents, worksite sponsor, and CDC shall meet with the school principal (or appointed administrator) to discuss the appropriate steps to be taken.
Internship Due Dates
Fall Semester 2014
· August –Internship Work Session
· Wednesday, January 9, 2015 – PowerPoint
In addition to the due dates listed above, Interns are required to complete weekly journal entries through email.
Time Sheets Due Dates
Fall Semester 2014
Time sheet is due every two weeks. Due dates are as follows:
1. Friday, September 12, 2014
2. Friday, September 26, 2014
3. Friday, October 10, 2014
4. Friday, October 24, 2014
5. Friday, November 7, 2014
6. Friday, November 21, 2014
7. Friday, December 5, 2014
8. Friday, December 19, 2014
9. Friday, January 9, 2015
**if you work extra hours during holidays, note them!!
The “time sheets” should be placed in the clear folder located outside my office.
Time sheets must be signed by your employer or they are considered incomplete and late.
Traits of a Successful Worker
Responsible
· Work hard for excellence, even if a task is unpleasant.
· Pay attention to detail.
· Work toward high standards of attendance, punctuality, and attitude.
Confident
· Believe in your own self-worth, skills, and abilities.
· Be aware of how your emotions, behavior, and attitude can affect others.
· Take responsibility for your actions.
Sociable
· Be friendly, sensitive, and polite to others.
· Be interested in what other say to you.
· Be flexible so you can interact with people from different backgrounds.
Self-Managing
· Know your own abilities, skills, and knowledge.
· Set realistic personal goals and be self-motivated to achieve them.
· Use others’ criticism and feedback to improve yourself.
Honest/Ethical
· Know your community’s and organization’s code of ethics.
· Know how behavior that violates these codes hurts individuals and the organization.
· Be committed to ethical behavior in the workplace.
What do Employers Expect of Me as an Intern?
Employers expect me to:
· Come to work every day. . .on time.
· Make smart decisions.
· Follow directions.
· Concentrate on my work and care about the quality of my work.
· Read, write, and calculate well.
· Recognize problems and find solutions.
· Finish a job when I’m suppose to without sacrificing quality.
· Be honest and dependable.
· Take the lead and work hard.
· Communicate well and get along with other people, especially customers.
· Dress properly and practice good grooming.
· Be cooperative.
· Have a positive attitude.
Skills for Success in the 21st Century:
What skills are employers looking for?
1. THE ABILITY TO LEARN
With technology changing so rapidly, more than ever, employers are searching for employees who can acquire, process, and apply new information.
2. THE BASICS: STRONG READING, WRITING, AND MATH SKILLS
Companies are increasingly demanding that their new employees have these basic skills.
3. GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS – ESPECIALLY LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS
Good communication skills are the single most important factor in workplace success after having an understanding of one’s job.
4. GOOD INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS – ESPECIALLY GOOD ATTITUDE
A good attitude about one’s job and motivation to take initiative on important issues and ideas are key to being successful in any job.
5. CREATIVE THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS
People who can recognize and define problems, come up with new approaches and solutions and put them into action help a company stay competitive. This is a very important skill employers are looking for in this tight economy.
Internship Journal
The internship journal provides an opportunity for you to write about your learning experience. There are several ways that you can use your journal to examine your internship experience. You will use the writing prompts below as starting points for your journal entry. The journal is specifically designed to help you process the learning that happens as a result of your internship, though it is not a private journal. Your Career Development Coordinator will check your journal entries.
**If your weekly journal has not been received by your internship block on Friday, you will be required to stay until the journal has been submitted to Ms Turner.
Basic Guidelines
· Write a journal entry for each week listed below
· All entries should be dated and include total hours worked for the week
· Content should be thoughtful, detailed and honest
· Please use complete sentences.
· Journals should be a well developed paragraph consisting of at least 6 sentences.
Journal prompts
1. Week ending September 5: What are your expectations for this internship? What are you hoping to learn?
2. Week ending September 12: Define the purpose of the business/organization – what they do, structure, who are their customers, etc. What is your job description: what will you be doing, who will you work with, where do you fit in?
3. Week ending September 19: What criticisms or compliments, did you receive this week? How did it make you feel?
4. Week ending September 26: What are some advantages and disadvantages of interning in this occupation?
5. Week ending October 3: Describe the work atmosphere. How are decisions made, is it cooperative or competitive, what is the dress code and work ethic of the organization?
6. Week ending October 10: Discuss the academic knowledge that you are receiving in school and how it is useful to you in your internship experience. What do you wish you had learned prior to this internship?
7. Week ending October 17: What information could you take from your internship experience and share in the classroom?
8. Week ending October 24: Discuss how the experience is or is not meeting your expectations. How will you apply yourself differently for the remainder of the internship? What factors would improve your experience?
9. Week ending October 31: To what extent do the learning objectives in your work-based learning plan reflect what you have learned at this internship?
10. Week ending November 7: Describe your short term and long term career goals and design your pathway for achieving these goals. Where are you now in relation to these goals and how do you plan to get where you want to be? How is the internship assisting you on your pathway?
11. Week ending November 14: What have you learned about the value of your education in preparing you for, or not preparing you for your career? Explain.
12. Week ending November 21: What have you learned about yourself, your employer and your job?
13. Week ending December 5: What have you learned about this occupation or profession?
14. Week ending December 12: What do you feel is your main contribution to your internship site? What have you done at your internship that makes you proud? Why?
15. Week ending December 19: What would you have done differently for this internship experience?
Final Exam: Interns are required complete a portfolio in place of a written exam.
Portfolio Requirements
Cover Page/Table of Content, Resume, Cover letter and Job Application 10 points
History of Business 5 points
Employee Training Guides/Manuals & Policy Manuals (If available) 5 points
Types of Employment available/licensure/education required 5 points
Interview your three people, including mentor, in your Business/School to learn the following: 15 points
· Level/Amount of Education
· Where He/She Trained/College
· Experience Required
· Entry Level Salary
· Benefits You Get With This Job
· Future Outlook for Your Career Area
· List likes/pros of the Job
· List dislikes/cons of the Job
· Do You Recommend This Job/Career? Why or Why Not?
· Would You Choose This Job/Career Again? Why or Why Not?
Informational tri-fold brochure /business cards 5 points
2 Letters of recommendation 5 points
Self-Evaluation 5 points
Complete a typed 2 page reflective essay to Summarize Your Internship.