When you think about internships, you may assume they’re something offered only to college students, but these days some employers are offering them to high school students as well. An internship can provide an excellent opportunity for high schoolers to test the waters of career paths they may be considering and to improve the quality of job experiences they’d otherwise not have access to.
Julie Lammers is senior vice president of government relations and advocacy at American Student Assistance (ASA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to guiding young people toward a rewarding career path. I asked her about high school internships and her advice for parents and students who may be interested.
Based on research cited in ASA’s newly published guide “High School Work-Based Learning: Best Practices Designed to Improve Outcomes for Today’s Youth,” while 79 percent of high school students are interested in a work-based learning experience, only 34 percent are aware of any opportunities for students their age—and just 2 percent of students have completed an internship during high school.
At the same time, we know that work-based learning benefits both young students and employers in a number of ways, including enabling students to connect classroom learning to the real world, giving students the chance to earn industry credentials before graduation, allowing students to build social capital, and cultivating a pipeline of talent with new perspectives.
Parents and students should investigate whether there are any community-based or state- or town-run programs that coordinate internships. Increasingly, community-based organizations and government entities have become important intermediaries for helping students find internship opportunities. They should ask their local YMCA or Boys & Girls Club, or a city or state entity such as Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, Career Connect Washington, Employ Milwaukee, or Massachusetts Connecting Activities.
There are also corporate entities, such as John Hancock Life Insurance Company, that might offer community-wide programs in your area. Moreover, some states allow employers to post opportunities, and students can search the options that align with their interests and career goals.
One of the biggest differences between a paid internship and summer job is the professional network that can be built. Research shows that most jobs are filled through networking. That’s why it’s imperative that we look beyond skill sets alone and strategically invest in student professional networks. A student can have the strongest skills in a particular area, but without the proper support system, they might not be able to access the same resources and opportunities as peers who are more well-connected.
Internships, including virtual and face-to-face experiences, help young people to build and grow career networks over time. Students should start with resources available at their school. However, they should not limit their conversations to career counselors (if available). Nonprofit organizations, such as Big Picture Learning, as well as teachers, coaches, friends, and their friends’ parents can also help connect young people with invaluable internship opportunities.
A paid internship is more likely to help a student build their professional network because it is aligned with long-term career goals. A summer job may have a different role: It allows a student to make money and gain some workplace skills, but it is not a part of a longer career plan. A student is less likely to make the connections that can help with building a professional network. Working at the mall, for example, is a good way to learn important skills about customer service and showing up on time, but unless the student wants to stay in retail for their career, they are unlikely to make the kind of professional connections that can help to build their social capital. And with over half the jobs coming through a personal connection, it is very important that students start to build that network of career connections early.
Oftentimes, we see students waiting until college to take their first internship. If they discover at that point that they don’t like their chosen field, it often comes after they have taken lots of classes and spent a lot of money. The pivot to something else at that point in the educational journey can be both costly and time-consuming. That is one reason why we would love to see high school be the time for students to test and try these work-based opportunities, allowing them to make a well-informed, confident choice for their educational and career paths.
Students should experiment, or “try on,” as much as they can. In high school, they should seek out work-based learning opportunities such as in-person or virtual internships, pre-apprenticeships, experiential learning opportunities, service learning, or entrepreneurship experiences. All of these experiences allow students to build a workplace identity, helping to narrow down the types of roles or activities they foresee for themselves in the workforce (e.g., working in an office versus working in a lab, or working as part of a team versus working independently). Every experience teaches a student something new about how they like to work and how they can be most successful. These experiences should be valued and multiplied for every young person.
On the school side, schools often serve as an important facilitator of these experiences—they help to smooth the way for participation, ensure the students can get credit for the experience, help with transportation and logistical issues, etc. Many high schools have listings of internship opportunities or can help students search and apply for internships. Schools can provide additional support by ensuring that students are workplace-ready with an appropriate resume and interview skills, and that they understand the basics of the workplace, including the importance of showing up on time and dressing appropriately.
