Why is an Internship Mandatory at City Charter High School?
In an effort to better prepare students for the workforce, City Charter High School makes sure every student experiences an off-campus internship, mentored in their field of interest.
An early preparation is important. At orientation, you will be introduced to the concept of internships. You will start off by completing a “career survey” and eventually use your “dream board” from 9th grade to narrow in on a internship, as part of your graduation requirements. Throughout your weekly Career Literacy classes, you will gain the skills needed to pursue these dreams. So, by the time you’re a Junior, you are fully ready to head out into the community to put their skills into practice.
City Charter High School’s mandatory 13-week Internship allows you to “try-out” a career.
Here’s how we prepare you:
- You’ll learn time-management skills and the importance of attendance and an overall professional work ethic
- You’ll be exposed to peers and experts in your field of interest
- You’ll be technology ready with computer skills, maybe even Microsoft & Adobe certifications
- You’ll have the confidence needed for interviews and presentations, through mock job interview classes
- You will have a good understanding for business from Workforce Skills training and additional classes in Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship
- Best of all, you’ll be able to see if your choice is what you really want to do in life.
Before You Head to Your Internship, We Prepare You.
We use a curriculum titled "Career Readiness" to prepare our students so they can complete this requirement for graduation. To accomplish this task, an Internship Manager on staff will implement the following plan of action:
Grade 9
During Freshman year the Internship Office is introduced in the Career class focusing on the student understanding the career cluster language and a general idea of workplace expectations.
Grade 10
During Sophomore year presentations are made in the Career class to discuss the importance of the student’s role in their academic and career planning. This discussion reinforces the importance of a resume and how it will be used for the internship experience. We continue the discussion to focus on the importance of time management, attendance and an overall professional work ethic.
Grade 11
During the Junior year the focus is on preparation for the junior year internship experience:
- 1st trimester we review the student’s performance and introduce the concept of alignment
- 2nd trimester we make offers to 1/3 of the class and accompany the student to their setup meeting in preparation for their 3rd trimester internship experience
- 3rd trimester 1/3 of the students from the class are out for Internship. The training received from previous career classes, coupled with their workforce skills and technology training lay the foundation for Internship outcomes.
Each mentor must have current Criminal Record and Child Abuse Clearance forms. They are available at the State Office Building or through the Internship Manager at City High.
By the end of the Internship experience, students will be able to:
- consistently arrive on time
- show up prepared for internship
- remain at site for full shift
- use time productively
- remain on task
- follow proper call-off procedures
- look for new assignments and opportunities when tasks are completed
- follow worksite dress code rules
- interact appropriately with others at the site
- speak/communicate in a respectful and professional manner
- remain engaged in the experience
- take initiative to advocate for oneself as ideas and opportunities develop
- demonstrate respect for company property
- comply with workplace rules and protocol