Internships

The ‘jewel in the crown' of the Career Academy model is the internship, which takes place in the summer between the two years of the course. Employers provide a six-week paid work placement, based on a standard working hour week in a real operating environment and aiming to use the skills and knowledge the student has learned in school / college.

Internships are neither the traditional 'work experience' offered to 15 and 16 year olds, nor mini versions of undergraduate schemes. Still adolescents rather than graduates, Career Academy students may have had less opportunity to develop workplace skills and are likely to need more support and training. Yet - with a year's Career Academy study under their belt - they can make a real contribution to the organisation, especially as the six weeks progress. Host employers also report that working with Career Academy interns enhances staff development or approaches to employee diversity.

The internship element of the programme has been fully matched to a BTEC Level 3 Award in WorkSkills, evidenced by the existing internship logbook for students. This short course, equivalent to 60 Guided Learning Hours is worth the equivalent of 0.4 of an AS level at Grade C. This programme is being piloted in existing Career Academies over the Summer internship period in 2011 and available for all centres who wish to follow this option from the start of the 2011-12 academic year. To find out more about Workskills click here.