"National Intern Day" issue (July)
A newsletter (for adults) about career-readiness (for kids).
Dear Readers,
Today is National Intern Day — a day to recognize and appreciate the power of real-world learning for young people. This summer and throughout the school year, many young people around the country will be experiencing work for the first time, or building on past work experiences, through internships.
While a good deal of internships are held in-person, others are now offered remotely, meaning that today’s young people, regardless of location and circumstance, have access to a vast network of possibilities for gaining meaningful exposure to the world of work.
But there’s still much to do to bring internships into the mainstream vernacular in schools. While our research shows that 79% of teens would be interested in something like an internship, just 2% of students have completed one and only a third are even aware of such opportunities for people their age.
At ASA, we’ve opted to “put our money where our mouth is” this summer by offering a paid high school internship to Boston-area students. We’ve hired five interns based on interviews about their interests, out-of-school activities, and academic performance. Through the program, our interns will be able to get real work experience in departments like public relations, corporate social responsibility, marketing, and beyond. They’ll connect with mentors, and build social capital in the process.
I’m excited to watch our new interns progress and hope to report back here to share some of their stories. Thanks for reading, and happy Intern Day!
Sincerely,
Jean
(If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org)
P.S. - My pick of the month is K-12 Schools Struggle to Prepare, Excite Gen Z About Learning, which dives into recent data about students’ overall feelings about their school experiences and how well they feel they’re being prepared for the future….because when it comes to school, students shouldn’t be the only ones getting graded!
How Middle School Career Exploration Helped My Passion for Aviation Take Flight
Miranda Gallagher is a Vermont high schooler who has uncovered a passion for aviation through a series of work-based learning experiences that allowed her to learn from adults already in the industry. To-date, she has worked with veteran aviation experts, flown in a Cessna 150 through the EAA Young Eagles flight program, and completed a six-week STEM camp program at a Vermont airport. She writes of her unique pathway experiences that, “The opportunities and the people I’ve met through them have shaped who I am now. I can’t thank any of them enough for all they’ve done for me. My love for aviation is in big part thanks to them. There’s nothing like flying but it’s even harder to express the feeling of community that comes from it.”
The Bottom Line: Career experiences liked these are absolutely life-altering for kids who start early and have their interests nurtured through structured work-based learning programs. Miranda says it best: “Learning can happen at any age, but seeking it out early can give you ideas for what you’re interested in…You might not know something interests you until you do it.”
Survey Shows Gen Z’s Unique Perspective on Higher Ed (Research from Morning Consult)
College Enrollment Disparities: Understanding the Role of Academic Preparation (Research from the Center on Children and Families at Brookings)
Gen Z Values Education But Doesn’t Think a Four-Year Degree is Necessary (Research from ECMC Group)
73 Percent of Businesses in WMC Survey Say Public High School Grads Unprepared for Workforce (Research from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce)
Teachers Increasingly Embrace ChatGPT - Students, Not So Much (Research by the Walton Family Foundation and Impact Research)
$1.25 Million Awarded to Work-base Learning Programs in Iowa (Iowa Workforce Development Newsroom, June 29, 2023)
Dropping Degree Requirements Is a Growing Trend (World at Work, June 15, 2023)
How CT’s College-Readiness System Leaves Students of Color Behind (CT Register, July 2, 2023)
The ROI of Lived Experience: Why More Companies Are Embracing Apprenticeships (The Workspan Podcast on Apple Podcasts, July, 2023)
Are Younger People Looking for Alternatives to Get to Their Dream Life? (YouTube / Morning in America, June 21, 2023)
Cullman City Schools Launching 3 New Career Tech Programs for 2023-2024 School Year (The Cullman Tribune, July 2, 2023)
Helping Gen Z Navigate Life After High School with Clay Colarusso of American Student Assistance (Buzzsprout.com, July 3, 2023)
LinkedIn Bets on Skills Over Degrees as Future Labor Market Currency (BNN / Bloomberg, June 9, 2023)
Rob Curley: Teen Journalism Institute's Class of 2023 High school Interns is Full of Firsts (The Spokesman Review, July 2, 2023)
GCU Storms Minds of High Schoolers with AI, Cyber Lego Mindstorm (GCU News, July 2, 2023)
OPINION: Boston Public Schools Are Exposing Students to Career Options as Early as Middle School, and it’s Paying Off (The Hechinger Report, June 22, 2023)
OPS Internships Give High Schoolers Valuable Teaching Experience (6 News WOWT, July 6, 2023)
Below is a list of upcoming events and recaps of recent panel presentations that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.
Register to Attend:
-Paving the Way for Pathways: Connecting Local Schools and Businesses (Tacoma - October 19-21, 2023)
-Association of Middle Level Education (National Harbor, MD - November 1-4, 2023)
Recaps:
-Democratizing Success: Blended Pathways for the Next Generation of Learners (A recap of an ASU+GSV panel conversation)
-Ready for Earning, Learning, and Life (A recap of an ASU+GSV panel conversation)
-Preparing the Next Generation for Future Careers - My Conversation with Jean-Claude Brizard and Michael Horn (A recap of an ASU+GSV panel conversation)
-Changing the World is Hard: What Impact Investors Think About Non-Degree Pathways (A recap of an ASU+GSV panel conversation)
-Here to Stay: Expanding Pathways in Postsecondary Education (A recap of a SXSW EDU panel conversation)
-If Not a Degree, Then What? Verifying Candidates in a Skills-Based Hiring Framework (A recap of a SXSW EDU panel presentation)
-Engaging Employers in High School Work-based Learning (A recap of a SXSW EDU panel presentation)