An internship places the young person in a temporary position in your company, allowing them to gain valuable first-hand experience and insight about a career of interest. Whether you host an intern in person or remotely, you’ll have an eager employee with a fresh perspective and a willingness to tackle projects. Learning and performance goals should be set throughout the internship, and evaluative feedback should be provided to facilitate professional growth. High-quality internships hold young people accountable as part of the team and require the utilization and enhancement of employability and occupational skills. Internships may be paid or unpaid and are sometimes used to satisfy requirements for a class or credits within a field of study. Minimum six-week experience and/or 60 hours total.

This experience involves students “shadowing” one or more of your component employees in person or virtually. A job shadow gives young people valuable exposure to careers and companies of interest. Plan to show students a typical day on the job and offer time to meet other employees. Throughout the experience, engage them in conversation to learn more about their interests and discuss relevant career-related information. Students are often encouraged to ask questions they have to help them determine if the career and industry is something they want to pursue. Minimum three hours per experience; minimum of three separate experiences.

Mentoring occurs when a student is matched one-to-one with a professional from your organization in order to explore a career, career interests, and related workplace and career development questions. The mentor serves as a resource for the student by sharing insights and providing encouragement and guidance about the workplace, work ethics, careers, and educational requirements. A goal of mentoring is to improve the well-being of students through support given in academic, social, and personal means so it’s important to select employees who are excited about the idea of being a mentor and sharing first-hand knowledge about his or her career and life experience.

Offering summer employment to young people can benefit your business in multiple ways. Hiring students in the summer is a great way to get projects checked off the to-do list (or to-do someday list!) without taking valuable time away from other employees. Additionally, short-term employment is an excellent way for young people to learn more about your business and the career opportunities available. Summer employment can be part or full-time, and participants should be treated as any other employee in a similar position.

In a mock interview, a business professional meets one-on-one with a student and conducts a simulated job interview. Conducted in person or virtually, a mock interview gives the student the opportunity to practice professional dress and etiquette, as well as allows them to answer questions about themselves, their interests, and their personal qualities and to learn how to market themselves as prospective job candidates. It helps them learn what is expected in a job interview and improves the student’s self-presentation. Approximately 15 minutes should be devoted to a mock interview, with the remaining time being spent providing constructive feedback and allowing the student to ask the professional questions about their career.

Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom instruction with occupational instruction. Commonly known as a co-op, this type of experience involves your business or organization working closely together with a school to offer students an experience where they attend traditional classroom learning mixed with periods of working at your business. This type of experience allows students to learn technical skills and receive related workplace training while receiving academic credit.

As a guest speaker, a representative from your business speaks directly to students in a live or virtual setting, such as in the classroom, at a career fair, or other event. Giving students this opportunity to hear first-hand from an industry expert on your team may spark an interest in a new career path for some or help others solidify their decisions. Speakers can cover topics such as their personal career journeys, the types of jobs available in your company/field, and the academic and practical preparation needed to enter and advance within your career field. Educators will be listening too, so share your best advice on preparing students for classroom success.

Students would have the opportunity to communicate with and interview someone in a job or industry of interest to them. Students would gain an understanding of some of the real life experiences that individual has on a day to day basis in that particular job.  A student can use the following link from CareerOnestop to help prepare and guide them through an informational interview. CareerOnestop Informational Interview.

An industry tour is a career exploration activity during which your business or organization provides students with the opportunity to see your worksite in person, virtually, or via recorded video, allowing them to see what it’s like to work in your field. Typically, it involves a tour of the facilities and the opportunity for the students to observe work-related activities. Industry tours help students get a feel for the work environment at your business. Employees providing the tour can share information about the various types of jobs your company has to offer, the education, training, and soft skills needed to compete for these jobs, and potential opportunities for advancement.

Volunteer opportunities provide support to programs and services that directly serve the community and others for free. Through volunteerism, students develop their leadership skills, learn to work with others, increase their engagement in the community, explore various work activities, and build a strong work ethic. These experiences help young people gain essential professional skills early in life, which translates to future success in the workplace. Depending on the nature of the project or task, volunteer opportunities can take place in-person or remotely.

Pre-apprenticeship programs are designed as stepping stones to Registered Apprenticeship programs. Pre-apprenticeships are formulated in coordination with the school or training provider so that while participating, the students are learning your industry-based objectives as they build the literacy, math, English, and work readiness skills needed for future success. Pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship can be applicable to and developed for any industry. See PA Careerlink for more information on developing and registering a pre-apprenticeship program: https://www.pacareerlink.pa.gov/jponline/Apprenticeships

A teaching and learning opportunity that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Through these experiences, students gain skills and knowledge to prepare for future work relationships and experiences.

Teacher in the Workplace experiences connect the workforce to the classroom by directly engaging teachers, counselors, and administrators with business and industry leaders like you. Through these experiences, school staff become informed of industry trends, training needs, opportunities for collaboration, and the career paths available within your company. Educators take the knowledge back to the classroom to enhance instruction, student learning, and career readiness.