Hugh Sutherland School, in Carstairs, has launched a unique career internship program meant to inspire students as they consider what they want to do for a career in the future. The program involved having 81 Grade 10 students be placed on three full days of internship in the community. Students were placed with adult mentors such as lawyers, trades people, medical professionals, a police agency, aviation workers, a radio announcer, and schools and preschools.
The school found specific placements, by first asking each student what they were interested in, and then finding appropriate community businesses or organizations to work with. Also, the school worked with businesses and organizations to ensure students would have a hands-on learning experience that was as close to ‘real world’ and as hands-on as possible. This approach is unique in Alberta.
“Our internship program is about connecting students with their ‘why’,” said Dean Nielsen,
Principal of Hugh Sutherland School. “When students find something they are interested in
pursuing, it helps them make many other good choices. Students are more motivated to select classes they need for post-secondary programs even if they are academically challenging for them, they work harder in their classes, and are more likely to transition to post-secondary.”
Nielsen said the idea for the internship came from a visit he made to High Tech High School in San Diego California several years ago. The school has a high transition rate to post-secondary. When Nielsen asked staff why that is, they told him it was the meaningful, real-world internships students experienced there. Nielsen has wanted to implement the idea since, but knew that in a community smaller than San Diego, there might be limitations.
“The real hero of the story is our staff, who first worked with students one-on-one to find out
what they might want to explore, and then they worked tirelessly to approach businesses and organizations to find good internship placements for each student.”
The school chose to send Grade 10 students because they were finding that students in Grade 11 sometimes wished they had made different course selections. “We are hoping this
experience for our Grade 10 students will clarify for them what courses are needed to support their career aspirations,” said Nielsen.
Nielsen said while some students will find passion areas, another successful outcome from the internship would be a student deciding a career pathway isn’t for them. “At this stage, it’s all about exploration and students coming to understand what they are really interested in. If a student can rule something out, that is one step closer to finding what they want to do.”
Ben Bannister, an HSS student, was placed at Carstairs Champion Ford Dealership for his
internship.
“Selling a vehicle is more complicated than you realize. What I’ve learned is that most of it
comes down to how well you communicate with a customer,” he said. “I have enjoyed seeing
this in the real world and how a sale actually plays out. I like getting out into the workforce and going in depth.”
Bannister said the internship has confirmed what he was considering for a career. “I do see
myself in sales or business, and working towards a business degree.”
Blair Bosomworth and Cooper Nielsen were both placed at Collegiate Sports Medicine in Olds, where they spent time with a physiotherapist as he treated clients.
“I’ve been a part of sports for years and in my family there are people in medicine, so I was
interested in that too,” said Cooper Nielsen. “It’s definitely made me more interested in this area. I liked learning about the human body. It was cool to see how the physiotherapist could
diagnose and help clients find improvements.”
Both Bosomworth and Cooper Nielsen said the internships confirmed this career pathway, as well as their goals to take high level math and sciences.
Carter Jochems and Aidan Penner, both HSS students, spent their internship with a heavy duty mechanics instructor at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. Both students had
participated previously in dual credit learning at the College, but wanted to expand their
knowledge and experience.
Penner said the experience confirmed to him his goal of getting good marks in academic
classes is important. Jochems agrees and said, “Having experiences like this remind me I need to focus on school, so I don’t need to repeat anything.”
The school intends to offer this opportunity annually. Story Submitted by: Laurette Woodward, Chinook's Edge School Division
Comments