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.

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.

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.

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.