MALDEN — Malden High School’s Senior Internship Committee is calling on local business owners and managers to give students a chance to work and learn about their companies.
“It’s a win-win situation for all who participate in the Senior Internship Program,” said Senior Internship Coordinator Beth Horwitz, who is heading up the committee for a second year. “The student gains valuable life experience while the site supervisor and the site benefit from the efforts of the student.”
The Senior Internship Program is a five-six week program during the spring of each year. The program this year will run from April 9-May 18 and students are required to complete 30 hours a week. It is a non-paying internship that students attend instead of attending their fourth quarter classes and is an important project that completes their high school graduation requirements.
The way the program operates, students work alongside a site supervisor at the company and graduating seniors learn what the “real world” after high school has in store for them.
“A lot of students, especially seniors, do work at paying jobs, but very few in positions where they would see themselves working after college or even high school,” Horwitz said. “For nearly all of the students who participate in this program, it is the first time they have had an opportunity to get some specific experience and training in a job or field that truly interests them for the future.”
Horwitz said that although the seniors are supposed to find the internship placements on their own, there are times when having a little guidance of places that are receptive to having seniors work at their company can be very helpful.
“We are hoping that Malden professionals, business owners, and specialists, as well as those in the immediate surrounding area, consider becoming a site supervisor for the spring program,” Horwitz said. “Students may work at their internship in any community nearby, as long as our program guidelines are followed.”
Anyone interested in becoming a site supervisor should email Horwitz at [email protected] or call her at 781-397-6000, ext. 1304. Those wishing to offer assistance are asked to include a description of their profession, specialty, work tasks, and contact information.
Site supervisors will be contacted by the coordinator and the student.The student is responsible for meeting with a potential site supervisor for an informal interview before a final commitment of placement by the student and the site supervisor. The program begins on Monday, April 9 and concludes on Friday, May 18. The internship program has optional work hours during the week of April 16-20, which is a school vacation week.
At the conclusion of their internship, all students present an overview of their experience at an exhibition at the high school for fellow students, teachers, administrators, managers, business owners, the community, and city officials. The event is a chance to display and commemorate their efforts.
In the past, seniors have gotten internships in accounting, business, hospitality/tourism, social work, marketing/management, athletic training/physical therapy, environmental science, automotive technology, real estate, computer science, medical secretary, and other areas in the medical field. This year there has been interest expressed in additional fields such as communications and the legal and medical fields.
“This program is extremely beneficial to our students. It raises their levels of responsibility and commitment at a time of their life when they really need to do so,” Horwitz said.
