Exploratory Work Experience/Internship

Exploratory Work Experience is an elective course which combines non-paid job observation and sampling with related classroom instruction in employability skills. Students will ascertain their interest and suitability for the occupation they are exploring.

Instruction is the same as General Work Experience including the development of a personal portfolio with additional time given to career guidance/ exploration activities and skills needed to acquire employment.

Internship

 Internship is a part of the Exploratory Work Experience for juniors or seniors who completes a planned series of activities, set learning objectives or design a project to give a broad understanding of a business or occupational area.

An internship helps students accomplish the following:

• Develop transferable academic, technical and employability skills.
• Apply basic skills and knowledge to real-world settings.
• Learn new skills relevant to the business hosting the internship.
• Increase self-esteem by assuming real responsibilities in adult work settings.
• Focus career interests by experiencing a job and career area in depth.
• Understand the culture of the workplace and the finer points of interacting with co-workers and supervisors.
• Understand the connection between school, work, and achieving goals.

WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION

FRAMEWORK AND CONTENT STANDARDS

FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FRAMEWORK

Goal 1:  EMPLOYMENT CYCLE

Students will demonstrate job seeking skills, skills for keeping and advancing on a job, and demonstrate skills for making a positive impression when leaving a job.

Goal 2:  ECONOMIC AWARENESS

Students will understand wage systems, payroll deductions, taxation, insurance benefits, basic business operations and personal money management.

Goal 3:  CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Students will demonstrate an awareness of career opportunities and will utilize the career decision making process to identify career choices and develop a plan for achieving career goals.

CONTENT STANDARDS

Goal 1:  EMPLOYMENT CYCLE

1.0    Job Seeking Skills

Students understand the steps of the hiring process and demonstrate ways to successfully obtain employment.

1.1     Students understand basic labor laws and know how to contact government agencies when necessary.

1.3    Students will understand how to properly compose and format a business letter and

  are able to compose one, such as a resume cover letter and/or an interview thank you

  letter.     

1.4    Students will demonstrate how to appropriately complete job applications.

1.5   Students understand and know how to create a properly formatted resume and

        reference sheet.

1.6   Students will create a "Portfolio" that demonstrates skills and experiences for use

        when seeking employment. 

1.7   Students know how to identify and demonstrate effective job interview skills and

        techniques.

1.8   Students will identify and practice appropriate responses to potential interview

        questions.

1.10    Students know the appropriate documents that can be presented to the employer for

           the Federal "I-9" Form immediately after being hired.

2.0    Understanding the Workplace and Keeping a Job

Students understand employer expectations, responding to supervisor's evaluations and taking steps to improve job performance.  Students recognize and respond appropriately to various workplace situations to create effective and safe work environments.

2.1     Students understand basic labor laws including safety regulations, sexual harassment, employment contracts, union agreements, etc.

2.2   Students understand employer expectations of employees and will review their own    

        performance evaluations to identify areas of improvement and plan steps to improve.

2.3   Students know the common reasons why employees are fired and are able to identify       

  steps to be taken to avoid being fired.

2.4   Students recognize and discuss laws, issues, and ethical practices relating to

  workplace privacy involving:  communications, internet usage, workplace searches,

  video camera surveillance, personnel files, etc.

2.5   Students can identify the most common work place accidents and steps to take to      

  avoid these potentially hazardous situations.

2.6   Students understand and know how to respond to crime at work with emphasis on

  personal safety.

2.7   Students know how to recognize sexual harassment when it occurs and know the   

  appropriate actions that needs to be taken to have a non-offensive work

  environment.    

2.8  Students learn how to develop a plan for obtaining pay raises and/or promotions.

2.9   Students will identify situations at work that require ethical actions and decision

  making.  Examples are:  reasons for missing work, reporting actions of others to

  supervisors, issues of honesty, etc.

3.0    Leaving a Job

Students understand their legal rights when leaving a job and demonstrate skills for making a positive impression upon terminating their employment.

3.1    Students understand basic labor laws pertaining to leaving a job including the legal

concept of "Wrongful Termination".

3.2    Students know how to create a properly formatted letter of resignation from their

  job.

Goal 2:  ECONOMIC AWARENESS

4.0     Wages, Taxation, Benefits, Money Management

Students understand their paycheck including common deductions/taxation; financial aspects of business operations; and exhibit knowledge of personal financial management.

4.1    Students use and demonstrate the purpose and effect of a W-4 Form for income tax

withholding.

4.2    Given a W-2 Form and a Federal Income Tax 1040EZ Form, students know how to

read their W-2 and use the information to complete the 1040EZ to file a basic

tax return.

4.3    Students recognize and can discuss the most common deductions on a paycheck 

  stub. 

4.4    Students will identify, describe and differentiate forms of compensation and

benefits including required insurance such as:  State Disability, Worker's

Compensation, Unemployment, Social Security and Medicare as well as

understand other forms of insurance the employee may obtain.

4.5    Students demonstrate a basic understanding of personal money practices (budgets,

  banking) including the establishment and use of credit.

4.6    Students understand and can identify operational business issues which may include

  revenues, expenses, employee scheduling, product pricing, etc.

Goal 3:  CAREER DEVELOPMENT

5.0 Career Selection, Investigation, and Planning

Students will evaluate their interests and skills to identify careers to investigate, culminating in development of a personal career plan.

5.1     Utilizing interest, aptitude, skills, and values assessments students will identify

careers for investigation that fit their personal profile.

5.2    Students will use a variety of resources such as ones found in print, the internet, and

  software based programs to investigate employment trends and hiring projections for

  careers of interest.  

5.3    Students will demonstrate knowledge of resources available to access wage/

salary information relating to personal careers of interest.

5.4    Students investigate training/education requirements for careers of interest as well as     

  fees and entrance requirements of educational organizations.

5.5    Students develop a written career plan identifying related employment

LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

REINFORCED BY WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION

READING     (GRADES NINE AND TEN)                                                                              WEE STANDARDS

2.1   Analyze the structure and format of functional workplace documents, including the graphics          1.3, 1.4, 1.5,

        and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.                         1.6, 1.104.1, 2,4.3                                   

2.6   Demonstrate use of sophisticated learning tools by following technical directions (e.g., those                    1.2, 5.2, 5.3,

        found with graphic calculators and specialized software programs and in access guides to                5.4, 5.5

        World Wide Web sites on the Internet.)

WRITING     (GRADES NINE AND TEN)

1.2   Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate modifiers, and the active rather      1.3, 1.6, 3.2

        than the passive voice.

WRITING     (GRADES ELEVEN AND TWELVE)

1.9   Revise text to highlight the individual voice, improve sentence variety and style, and enhance                    1.3, 1.6, 3.2

        subtlety of meaning and tone in ways that are consistent with the purpose, audience, and genre.

2.3   Write Reflective compositions:                                                                                                                                 1.6

a.   Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using    

      rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, exposition, persuasion).

b.    Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's

 important beliefs or generalizations about life.

c.     Maintain a balance in describing individual incidents and relate those incidents to more

general and abstract ideas.

LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

REINFORCED BY WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION

WRITING     (GRADES ELEVEN AND TWELVE)                                                     WEE  STANDARDS

2.5   Write job applications and resumes:                                                                                    1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6

       a.   Provide clear and purposeful information and address the intended audience appropriately.

       b.   Use varied levels, patterns, and types of language to achieve intended effects and aid

             comprehension.

c.     Modify the tone to fit the purpose and audience.

d.    Follow the conventional style for that type of document (e.g., resume, memorandum) and

use page formats, fonts, and spacing that contribute to the readability and impact of the

document.

2.6   Deliver multimedia presentations:                                                                                                4.6

       a.   Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television

             broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic

             media-generated images).

b.    Select an appropriate medium for each element of the presentation.

c.     Use the selected media skillfully, editing appropriately and monitoring for quality.

d.    Test the audience's response and revise the presentation accordingly.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING     (GRADES ELEVEN AND TWELVE)

1.7   Use appropriate rehearsal strategies to pay attention to performance details, achieve command    1.7, 1.8, 1.9

        of the text, and create skillful artistic staging.

LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

REINFORCED BY WORK EXPERIENCE EDUCATION

LISTENING AND SPEAKING     (GRADES ELEVEN AND TWELVE)                           WEE  STANDARDS

1.8   Use effective and interesting language, including:                                                                 1.7, 1.8, 1.9

        a.   Informal expressions for effect

        b.   Standard American English for clarity

        c.   Technical language for specificity

2.4   Deliver multimedia presentations:                                                                                                             4.6

        a.   Combine text, images, and sound by incorporating information from a wide range of

              media, including films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, online information,