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Internships In Industry

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A School-to-Industry Talent Bridging Partnership

We are pleased to announce an expansion of the Internships In Industry (I3) Initiative, an ETEC-led partnership with schools, students, and companies to bridge the gap between the classroom and experience through internships. Click here to download the flyer.

Anderson, Knox, and Roane County companies are invited to participate in this innovative program that connects high school juniors and seniors from Oak Ridge High School, Anderson County High School, and Clinton High School; and, college students from Roane State Community College (RSCC) with businesses and manufacturers in short, easy-to-manage internships. The I-3 program is still in its pilot phases. We have completed one semester and the interns and their host companies have great things to say about their work based learning experiences with our local companies.

Aiden Hepworth, Junior from Clinton High School and intern at MS Technology says, "If I could describe my internship experience in 3 words they would be, educational, enjoyable, and flexible. I would definitely recommend this internship to others, not only have I learned a ton through it, but it has also been really flexible around my schedule. It has been a great experience overall!"

There is more room for growth and expansion for this local initiative. Please help us spread the word to suppliers and partner companies in your industry. Let’s give our future workforce a reason to stay in the area and a chance to become exemplary employees. Thank you for helping ETEC to grow and sustain our future workforce.

Details & Sign Up

To participate in the program click here to fill out the registration/interest form. Or, keep reading to check out all the details:

What you get – A junior/senior high school or college student who is interested in your industry. You get to set the type of experience you want to provide, and the time spent at your place of business. It can be as simple as a job shadow experience, or they can complete a project.

The schools are intentional to place students in a work-based learning experience that is aligned with their program of study. The student will have already taken coursework related to your field. For the high schools, there will be a teacher who will be the point of contact for you as the employer. This teacher will supervise and oversee the student’s program of learning and will visit the site at least once during the internship. For RSCC students the Workforce Training and Placement Manager will be the contact.

What the student gets – Career and technical education credit at the high school or college level credit, and valuable experience in your industry that can influence future college and career paths. For high school students this experience will also count toward the new State of Tennessee Industry 4.0 diploma distinction.

Timing Details –

Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton High Schools:

  • March 10, 2024 = First Priority Deadline for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Semester
  • July 1, 2024 = Final Deadline for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Semester
  • After July 1, please sign up to be considered for future entry or for other semesters.
  • Students would be at your facility to start working during the 1st week of August and be there until mid-December. Or, for the Spring, be there Late January through Mid-May.
  • The recommendation is 18 weeks, which is one semester, but there is flexibility. Internships are also available in 6-week or 9-week blocks.
  • Students are available daily between 12:00-4:00 p.m. and can work 15-20 hours per week depending on the student’s schedule and employer’s needs.
  • Students generally start their jobs on site the second week of each semester. Students are not expected by the school to work over school breaks and are not allowed to work on snow days.
  • Additional hours the student and employer wish to arrange during official school breaks (such as summer internships) will be determined by the employer and employee and will not be considered part of the Work Based Learning (WBL) course expectations

Roane State Community College Students:

  • January 19, 2024 and forward = Accepting applications for student internships – ongoing throughout the year (no deadline)
  • The start date would be determined by the employer and student.
  • RSCC semesters are 15 weeks long, but there will be flexibility to work between semesters and through multiple semesters.
  • Student availability will depend on their schedule.

Cost: High school student Work Based Learning and RSCC student internships should have reasonable and customary hourly wages, with a recommendation of $12.00-15.00 per hour (or whatever your company is prepared to offer).

What happens at the school: High school teachers of WBL students will begin the semester with students inside the classroom, going over worker expectations, course standards, and required paperwork to be signed by school employees and employer partners. RSCC students will meet with the Workforce Training and Placement Manager to sign required paperwork and go over expectations.

What the school would like: All of the schools would like this experience give students exposure to what they call “All Aspects of an Industry.” This includes Business Planning, Management, Health, Safety and Environment, Finance, Community Issues, Principles of Technology, Personal Work Habits, Labor, and Technical and Production Skills.

How to sign up – Fill out and submit the simple form below.

What happens next – A representative from the schools will contact you to find out more information and will match you with a student(s).

Not sure what you would do with a student?

  • Try sending a survey to your employees and ask them for ideas. One of our companies did that and they expanded their preference for an intern from 6 weeks to the full 18 weeks.
  • Contact Holly or Kelly (see contact information above) to see what tasks other companies are having interns do.
  • You may be surprised how a student can also find more things that need to be done while working on a particular project. These are bright young minds that can fill in gaps that you might not know exist.
Students - If you have completed a WBL semester or internship with an ETEC Member Company,
click here to fill out the exit survey.
For more detailed questions contact representatives from the Oak Ridge and Anderson County Schools:

Dr. Holly Cross
Supervisor of Career and Technical Education
Oak Ridge Schools
1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike | Oak Ridge, TN 37830
EMAIL | (865) 425-9557
www.ortn.edu
Click here for the School Calendar - 2023-2024
Click here for the School Calendar - 2024-2025

Kelly Myers
Director of Career and Technical Education
Anderson County Schools
101 S. Main Street | Clinton, TN 37716
EMAIL | (865) 463-2800 ext.2812
https://acs.ac/  | https://acctc.acs.ac/
Click here for the School Calendar - 2023-2024
Click here for the School Calendar - 2024-2025

Sonya Parker
Manager, Workforce Training and Placement
Roane State Community College
220 Frank L. Diggs Drive | Clinton, TN 37716
EMAIL | (865) 481-2031
https://www.roanestate.edu/
Click here for the Semester Calendar - 2024 Spring
Click here for the Semester Calendar - 2024 Summer

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