Finding a Match

OLD SAYBROOK:

    Helping youth explore, choose, and then test a career path that they think best matches their interests and talents is the goal of the school district’s School to Career Program coordinated by Carina Using. The program, which begins in fourth and fifth grade with parents speaking about their jobs, culminates in a community internship program for Old Saybrook High School juniors and seniors that’s designed to help students test career path choices. As the fall semester ends–and the spring semester soon starts–Using is hoping to find new community partners in business, government, and non-profit organizations who would be willing to have a student intern next semester.

    Almost 100 students have in the past few years been placed in settings where they work for 5 to 10 hours each week for a full semester. Students identify the type of job they want to explore or setting where they would like to work; Using works with her list of community partners to secure an appropriate internship for each interested student. “ooperating partners/sponsors act as mentors, guiding the assigned students as they work toward gaining practical experiences that align with their personal learning goals,” according to the program’s brochure.

    Comments from past student-interns highlight their view of the program: “The more I go to my internship, the more I want to go into this type of work. It really has helped me realize what I want to pursue” one student-intern reported. Mentors also praise the program and speak of the personal rewards they gain from it.

    All student-interns receive advance training from Using to prepare them for the expectations of the program and of the workplace. Community mentors receive an orientation from Using as well to prepare them for their respective roles in the program.

    Each student-intern is required to keep a weekly journal of his or her on-the-job experiences, observations, and reflections. These are reviewed and discussed in weekly meetings with fellow interns facilitated by internship coordinator Using. Each student also sets goals in these meetings for what they will learn or accomplish in their internship the next week. Grades are awarded for student performance based on their success in completing the course requirements and the degree to which they have met the program’s expectations.

    “This program succeeds because of the incredible support we receive from a generous business community that has taken ownership of the program; from the school district; from the students; and from the parents,” said Using.

    Any business, organization, or agency wanting to learn more about participating in the student-intern program should contact Carina Using by e-mail at cusing@oldsaybrook.k12.ct.us or call her at 860-395-3168.

The K-12 School to Career Program

    The high school internship is the culmination of a kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum designed to help students find a good career match for their talents and interests.

    In lower middle school, this begins with a 4th and 5th grade Career Day designed to teach students about the range of career choices. On this day, parent volunteers come to school and speak to students about their own jobs and careers. Each student selects from a list of presentation options the four careers or jobs about which they want to learn.

    Career exploration seminars offered throughout the middle school years then culminate in another school-wide event in the spring of eighth grade: the World of Work Day. On this day, students choose half or full-day job shadowing opportunities that allow them to observe specific jobs in various work settings.

    In high school, students continue to participate in job shadow opportunities available to freshmen and sophomores. Then in junior and senior years, interested students can secure a community internship designed to test their choice of a future career and educational path.