To help our students develop the life skills necessary for any career path, Camden Academy offers job internship and job shadowing opportunities to senior students. Through a collection of job partners, Camden Academy is able to pair students with a job shadow or internship opportunity that closely matches their career interest or intended college major.

• Job Shadowing– Students periodically shadow a business professional, forming a mentoring relationship, while learning the “ins and outs” of the business. Job shadowing operates on a flexible schedule and may consist of a student visiting a few times per week or per month.

• Job Internships– Students select internships that closely represent their career interests and continue in that capacity for the entirety of the school year. During the school year, senior students participate in internships after school and may work full-time hours during the summer. Job internships can be either paid or unpaid. Periodic interviews and internships evaluations are conducted throughout the school year.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO FOR A LIVING?”

What is an internship?

An internship at Camden Academy Charter High School is a unique career exploration that integrates study with planned and supervised career-related work experience. Students are involved as non-paid employees receiving academic credit for work experiences. The purpose of the program is to develop and strengthen the student’s educational and career preparation. An internship will expose the student to the interpersonal relationships a job requires, both with co-workers and supervisors that are essential in obtaining a successful, satisfying career. Internships enable employers to assist the high school students in preparing them to work in today’s business environment.

Student Benefits

An internship provides the student with a greater understanding of career demands and qualifications. It allows the student to understand the connection between what is studied and how it is applied in the world of work; thus it provides an opportunity for career awareness as the student begins to realize what he or she enjoys within the workplace. The students are carefully matched to companies or organizations in one of their career field choices. They are paired with an approved adult from that business to provide a one-on-one mentoring experience. By design, the internship is an independent learning experience taking place off-site, yet coordinated and closely managed through the school. Students are responsible for arriving at their internship location on time and conducting themselves in a professional manner. They are expected to respectfully take direction, demonstrate initiative, and complete tasks and projects with competence and timeliness.

Parent Support

Internships are non-traditional educational experiences for our high school students. It may demand flexible time at school and making up missed class work while carrying out effectively all duties and responsibilities on the job. The internship office keeps parents informed of their student’s internship plan and progress.

Qualifications

Students are selected for the internship program based on an application process that includes:

• Career Internship Application & Student Responsibility Agreement (must be signed by the student, parent, school representative and employer and kept on file)

• Student Interview

• Parental Consent Agreement

• Grade of “B” or above

• Good behavior and school attendance

• Participation in ongoing sessions of “soft skills” training

Successful Internship Completion

The internship experience at Camden Academy Charter High School is a capstone course designed for students to apply and reinforce knowledge and skills gained from the Career Readiness classes.

To ensure the success of individual internship experiences, the following strategies will be implemented:

• Weekly attendance and performance reports from the mentor at the internship site to the Internship Coordinator

• Internship site visits by the Internship Coordinator to monitor student progress and overall internship experience.

• Completion of daily journal entries by student focusing on personal goals and accomplishments.

If you have an internship position to offer, please contact the Internship Office at 856.365.1000, x127.