What is Executive Internship?
The Executive Internship Program is a key element in the student’s educational experience. The internship offers students with academic and real-world experiences related to technology, marketing, law and accounting bridging the gap between the classroom and the workplace, through a closely supervised employment experience. Students learn firsthand how to function in a business setting that requires a high level of performance. Internship candidates look forward to this real-life, hands-on experience. The internship culminates with the Capstone project consisting of a journal detailing experiences related to the project, a research-based essay which will include an annotated bibliography, an application product from the essay study and an oral presentation before the review board.
Students who have successfully completed their junior year Academy courses are eligible for placement in internships. All potential interns prepare a resume with guidance from their Academy Instructors, are evaluated by their Academy teacher, and take part in a pre-internship interview to determine their eligibility for placement. Students are then placed with companies based upon their interest and compatibility. Participating companies agree to provide the selected students with supervised internships in career-related positions. During the course of the intern’s work experience, the Academy teacher speaks with the intern’s supervisor and writes an evaluation following each visit. The supervisor is also asked to complete a brief written report at the end of the internship evaluating the intern and making suggestions for the intern’s improvement.
Internships provide a valuable addition to the students’ program. Not only does the internship provide students with an introduction to the world of work, but it also specifically enables the Academy student to apply the skills and information he/she learned during their first years in the Academy. This work experience, coupled with the internship report each student must complete, helps the student to carefully examine the industry as a possible career area, understanding job descriptions, and to make informed career decisions. Obviously, the internship provides students with the opportunity to learn new skills, both technical and interpersonal. Hopefully, an additional benefit for many of the interns will be the chance to create opportunities for future employment.
Companies providing internships gain from the experience as well. They are able to select from among a number of students who have had exposure to the industry and who have already expressed a strong interest in working in the industry. There is always an Academy supervisor to contact if any problem should arise during the course of employment. Additionally, companies know that if extra hands are needed during a particular crunch, assistance is just a phone call away. Lastly, and perhaps most significantly, there is the knowledge on the party of the companies that they have made a major contribution to public school education in creating a motivated, educated future workforce.