Internships give gifted high school students a bridge between academic ability and real-world experience. Through internships, students observe professional environments, apply classroom knowledge, and explore potential career paths by working in the chosen environment. Internships can be paid or unpaid (they are typically paid in college and unpaid in high school). In either case, some great benefits of internships are that gifted students can build their resumes, build their references, and learn whether or not their chosen internship career area is something that they would like to pursue. These experiences often spark new passions in students, as well.
As you can tell, internships are different from mentorships or shadowing. With mentorships, students are listening to mentors and learning about the skills, training, and education needed for a chosen field (read my last blog post about mentorships). With shadowing, students are spending an allotted amount of time at the career location, following a mentor at the business or organization and observing the day-to-day requirements of the chosen job. All three opportunities- internships, mentorships, and shadowing- work hand-in-hand to give students real life experiences in their chosen career interest area.
Programming for Internships
Strong secondary gifted programs should include opportunities for internships. Partnerships between schools and businesses can open formal internship pipelines. School counselors and gifted resource teachers can help students identify placements, prepare application materials, and reflect on goals before beginning work.
Local hospitals, universities, engineering firms, museums, and government offices are terrific places to host high school interns. For example, students interested in STEM might work in labs or tech teams where they assist with real projects under professional supervision.
No matter where students complete their internships, they should document internship experiences with supervisors’ evaluations, reflective journals, and examples of contributions to the workplace.
Join the Discussion
What are your thoughts about internships for gifted students? Does your school division offer them? Please share your thoughts and internship examples in the comments below. ~Ann
Teaching for Talent 