Youth+Internship

"Youth Internships allow students the opportunity to consolidate and apply the learning from their high school coursework into a meaningful and relevant on-the-job experience. An Internship is an opportunity for a student to spend time with one or more employees at a business, non-profit organization or government agency. The objective is to observe and gain hands-on experience in how business and industry work. The Internship experience is selected based on the student’s chosen career cluster/pathway." - SD DOE Website __Internships help students__: • Gain hands-on experience at a local business to build upon skills learned in the classroom.  • Establish a clear connection between education and work.  • Develop an understanding of the workplace under the guidance of an adult mentor.  • Explore and research a variety of careers.  • Develop workplace responsibility and learn about workplace realities.  • Establish professional contacts for future employment.  • Establish positive work habits and attitudes.  • Learn technical skills that will be valuable for future jobs.  • Understand what education opportunities are available that will lead to a career in their chosen career pathway.
 * **Youth Internship Requirements: **
 * **Letter of application **
 * ** Resume listing work experience **
 * **Reference Letter from supervisor **
 * ** Career path plan/goal setting- including at least 2 post-secondary school options, types of jobs available (actual job postings) **
 * **<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Completed log of hours worked and tasks completed during those hours, signed by supervisor **
 * **<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> Completed FAFSA **
 * **<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Complete a minimum of 4 hours a week at the internship, minimum of 20 hours a month, over a continuous 6 month period **

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">__Internships help teachers__: <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">• Keep curriculum up-to-date through communication with employers. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Make education more relevant and valuable for students. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Access the latest tools and equipment. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Acquire information on actual proficiencies required by employers/occupations. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Interact with the business community to secure resources (e.g. knowledge, equipment, software, etc.) to enhance learning.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">__Internships help employers__: <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">• Gain access to an expanded pool of qualified applicants. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Invest early to get “hard-to-find” people “trained-your-way”. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Reduce employee training costs. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Establish closer working relationships with local schools and educators. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Communicate to students how important it is to learn well: how to read, write, speak, listen, calculate and think when it comes to workplace success. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Generate positive publicity and public relations for their company. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Help students make better informed educational and career choices. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Influence curricula taught in schools. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Develop new projects with student assistance. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;"> • Communicate required job-specific proficiencies to educational personnel.