TYPE OF EXPERIENCE

[1.] WORK-BASED LEARNING AND CAREER CAPSTONE PROJECTS

Description / Definition

Internship

An INTERNSHIP is a work experience designed specifically as a learning and exploration experience for the participants, designed with opportunities to try out a variety of skills and tasks, observe and learn about a variety of aspects of the company, industry or career field, and to benefit from mentoring, workshops, classes or other learning opportunities built into the work experience.

Internships may be unpaid, employer-paid, or subsidized; may be offered for academic credit or not; and may be connected to a high school class or pathway or not. In some schools, a "clinical" or "practicum" experience; or a work-study; or a job in a school-based enterprise; can also be classified as an internship.

Youth Employment

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT experiences are jobs that are focused primarily on providing work and productivity for the business or organization; or focused primarily on providing summer work experience for youth; in which learning and skill building occurs naturally within the day-to-day work responsibilities.

Like internships, these work experiences provide opportunities for youth to develop skills and learn about career opportunities, but the primary focus is on performing work for the employer. These may be employer-paid or subsidized. Youth may participate in workshops, seminars or work-study classes as part of the experience, and may receive work-study credit. The experience might be aligned with the student`s individual career goals or program of study, but the experience is not designed as a formal internship.

Cooperative Education

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION experiences are work experiences created and tailored specifically for students in Career/Technical Education (CTE) programs with employers in the student’s career field. (Also called "co-op" experiences.)

Pre-Apprenticeship

A PRE-APPRENTICESHIP experience is a work-based learning model designed to offer on-the-job instruction, coaching and mentoring for youth and young adults interested in entering a skilled career field. (This model is not currently common in CA programs; but could be an area for future exploration.)

Career Capstone Project

A Career Capstone Project is a major project completed by a student or group of students, to explore a topic related to a career pathway or career interest, and to advance their skills and knowledge related to that career area.

[2.] OTHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Description / Definition

Job Shadow

A JOB SHADOW experience is a short-term experience in a worksite in which the student observes the work being done in the workplace, and typically gets a tour of the worksite, talks to a worksite host, and asks questions about the worksite and career field. Job Shadows are typically one-day or half-day experiences.

In the Connecting Activities database and in Connecting Activities reports, a job shadow is classified as a career development experience (and not a work-based learning experience) because it is short-term and typically involves just observation or a brief chance to try out a task.

Job Search Assistance, etc.

In the Connecting Activities database, staff can optionally use the placement screen to keep track of individuals who are receiving job search assistance, workshops, or other career development services. Staff use the "type of experience" field to identify these experiences, which are classified as career development, and not work-based learning in the quarterly report counts.

WORKSHOP/CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS (check all that apply)

Is this work experience related to:

• Innovation Career Pathway

• Early College Pathway

• Career Technical Education (CTE or CVTE; vocational; Chapter 74 programs)

• Career Connections Program (Non-Chapter 74 vocational progams; also called Perkins-Only vocational programs)

• Other (locally created) career pathway

• Internship Class

• Work-Study Class

This part of the question asks if the work experience is connected to a pathway or class that the student is taking. Typical examples include:
(1.) Students in an Innovation Career Pathway complete internships related to their field of study;

(2.) Many schools offer internship classes, with a class or seminar that meets weekly or periodically during an internship experience.

(3.) Students may be enrolled in a career-themed pathway or course, such as an early childhood education pathway, criminal justice class, or arts class, and participate in an internship or practicum related to that course.

Some schools may have locally-defined career pathways, such career-themed academies within the school or school-wide magnet themes. If these are not part of the state CTE programming or Innovation Career Pathway initiative, they are categorized here as other, locally-defined, career pathways.

• Workshop / Workshop Series

• Signal Success Workshops

• Civic Engagement

• Entrepreneurship

Students may participate in workshops before a work experience begins, or during the work experience, in order to learn and explore career skills, job search skills, and other related skills.

Some work experiences are designed around a civic engagement or entrepreneurship theme, with workshops and/or experiences designed to build civic engagement skills or entrepreneurship skills.

Or:

• Individual Coaching Only

The "individual coaching" checklist item was intended for cases with "only" individual coaching but it can be checked if that is the only service; or in combination with other checkboxes. Check this if the student met with the Connecting Activities staffperson for job search assistance or coaching before or during a work experience.

Is it for credit?

Check this box if the student is receiving school credit for the work experience.

CAREER FOCUS (check all that apply)

Career Focus:

• Related to student career interests and goals;

• Related to a pathway, program or course;

• General work experience;

• Related to a regional blueprint industry or other targeted industry.

The "career focus" question (which may overlap with some of the other questions on the placement screen) summarizes the reason for choosing an experience in this particular career field.

For example:

• A student interested in the culinary arts field is placed in an after-school job in a restaurant; or a student interested in auto mechanics is placed in an after-school job in a gas station; or a student interested in law is placed in an internship with a law firm..
  

• A student enrolled in a program, class or pathway is placed in an after-school job, summer job, or co-op experience related to that field.
  

• A student is placed in an experience that offers general work experience, not necessarily tied to a particular career interest or career focus.

• A student is placed in a job in an industry that the workforce board has identified as an important source of local jobs - such as advanced manufacturing, "green jobs," travel/tourism/hospitality, or other key regional industries, including those identified as "regional blueprint industries."
  

STEM Focus?

• Yes

• No

• Unknown

Answer yes, no or unknown to indicate if the work experience is in a STEM industry or occupation, or has a STEM skill focus. This field is not currently on the quarterly reports, but may be used for a variety of other reports for local or regional reporting.

Has Work-Based Learning Plan

• Yes - In Database

• Yes - In Word

• Yes - Paper and Pen

• Yes

• No

• Pending

Indicate whether the placement uses the Work-Based Learning Plan, and if yes, in what format. If you use the WBLP in the database, the answer switches to "Yes - In Database" as soon as you fill in the job description screen.

It is okay if the WBLP has been started but you have not yet completed the reviews.

It is okay if the WBLP is in the YouthWorks database.

TYPE OF PAY

• Employer Paid

• Unpaid

• Sponsored / Subsidized
  

This question captures the type of pay. Note that "Sponsored/Subsidized" includes any experiences in which the pay is covered by a grant, including some STEM grant experiences, HSSIEP, YouthWorks, or a variety of local, employer-supported, grant programs.

NAME OF ACTIVITY

As always, the placement screen includes a field for the Activity Name. Activity names are defined locally. For example:

Mill Valley Senior Internship Program

Mill Valley Healthcare Pathway Internships

Mill Valley Cooperative Education

Tech Apprentice

STEM Internship Program

The activity name does not appear in statewide quarterly reports, but is useful for a variety of local, regional and state-level reports. On the Reports/Admin menu, you can run reports for any activity names that you choose.