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Blackstone Valley Internship and Externship DevelopmentINTERNSHIPSEach year, students from the 10 member school districts participate in paid and unpaid internships. Partnering with the local business community, students are placed in career settings where they have the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will better prepare them for the 21st century workforce. Employers have an opportunity to influence a young person's academic and career development while gaining some additional assistance with their work. Each intern and sponsor employer develop a work and learning plan that identifies the foundation and career skills, specific tasks, and performance goals that will guide their experience. Progress evaluations are completed each semester. A school faculty member oversees the students in their placements and communicates with the work supervisor periodically. Currently there are 258 students working with 159 public, private, and non-profit employers in the Blackstone Valley. Students are working in a wide range of career fields, including engineering, education, medical settings, banking, computer technology, municipal offices, public safety settings, libraries, day care, auto repair, and retail. EXTERNSHIPSThis program allows TEACHERS from the Member Schools to have a unique learning experience by spending several days, even a week, in a setting related to their academic area. These may be paid or unpaid positions and are generally completed in the summer. The externship opportunity allows teachers to experience their academic field in a different setting. They bring back to their classrooms a better understanding about developing relevant and contextual curriculum, ideas for project-based learning, and connections with members of the business community. Recently teachers have completed externships at
Teachers are expected to keep a journal of their experiences while on externship and develop lesson plans that can be used in their classrooms. |
