Program Description:

The Executive Internship offers career exploration to seniors in the Floyd County High Schools. The Executive High School Internship Program enables seniors to serve as special assistants to senior officials in government, business, education, health, the arts, civic affairs, journalism, and related fields. Interns devote a maximum of three blocks per semester with their sponsors working on-site, re-fining their social and intellectual skills, writing reports, becoming precise in their analysis of policy issues, helping organize programs and actively initiating their own learning experiences. Students are selected according to their maturity, initiative, leadership, sensitivity, responsibility, and cooperation levels. Interns are not paid because they are in the program to learn. Each placement is individualized and students receive elective credit. Executive Internship is open to all seniors who have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher, have strong teacher and principal recommendations, good attendance, few to no discipline referrals, and strong performance in the rigorous interview process.

Objectives:

• Interns will be introduced to the professional environment by immersing them in a highly structured and monitored setting where action learning and theoretical classroom knowledge are related through the practical application of that knowledge.
• Interns will develop an in-depth understanding of the basic elements of professional organizations and the management and structure within.
• Interns will demonstrate the ability to function effectively within the professional environment. This will be accomplished through the development of interpersonal skills and basic acceptable work habits.
• Interns will develop advanced research skills in their chosen profession.
• Interns will develop and practice critical thinking and logical problem solving skills pertinent in their intern profession.
• Interns will develop advanced communication skills. Interns will use new techniques, materials, and formats in the development of products that will be shared with real audiences.

Internship Program Goals:

• Student interns will become familiar with the world of work in a professional environment.
• Student interns will be able to orally and narratively express how an executive or manager functions within an organization.
• Student interns will be able to explain their awareness of career opportunities within a particular field of interest that relates to their internship experience.
• Student interns will become familiar with and demonstrate an understanding of the work habits necessary for effective participation in an organization.
• Students will be able to apply the business etiquette needed in the world of business.

Measurement of Goal Achievement:

Goal 1: Each intern will present orally and narratively to his peers and the intern sponsor an analysis of
             his organization.

The information will be in the form of a final project which will include a display of the organizational flow chart from which the formal and informal power structure will be analyzed; visual presentation of the organizational goals identifying specific goals in terms of time components (long range and short term) and order of priority; visual representation of organizational budget in terms of an allocation percentage pie analyzing the relationship of goal priorities to the budget allocations; explanation of the organizational decision-making process specifically citing the role of the sponsoring executive.

Goal 2: Each intern will present in writing:

• Definition of job description (duties and responsibilities of an executive/manager)
• Give the educational requirements for the job.
• Limitations (constraints within which an executive or manager must function)
• Strategies for change (reorganization, responsibilities, etc.)

Goal 3: The intern will be able to explain:

• Knowledge of jobs in the field (titles, descriptions, salary ranges etc..)
• Knowledge of entry level opportunities and possibilities for advancement.

Goal 4: The intern will be able to articulate and demonstrate in practice the importance of:

• Promptness- in arriving at the job, in completing assignments, etc..
• Appearance- appropriate dress and grooming for the particular placement
• Dependability- in meeting commitments
• Discretion- respecting confidentiality of situations
• Sensitivity- relating well to a variety of people
• Flexibility- reacting well to a variety of people
• Independence- ability to work without constant supervision
• Accuracy- ability to follow directions, attentive to details, able to obtain information and convey it accurately
• Order- neatness of work
• Creativity- ability to generate alternate solutions to problems
• Attitude- a positive outlook on the assignment, a willingness to undertake tasks, including those that are unfamiliar or unpleasant.

Using a rubric, the sponsor will rate the intern on the extent to which each of the above mentioned work habits were demonstrated.

Goal 5: The intern will specifically do the following:

• To compose an effective resume.
• To conduct oneself effectively in an interview with an employer.
• To explain the hiring process in his/her own organizations, including the existence of job descriptions, the criteria used by personnel departments and supervisors for selection of employees.

The Intern Coordinator will be responsible for collecting information needed to assess achievement of individual interns. Data collected includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Weekly journals describing activities
• Analysis of placement
• Final Project
• Submission of resume
• Seminar follow-ups
• Interview write-up
• Sponsor recommendation
• Coordinator recommendation