What is an Internship?

An internship is an opportunity for a high school student to gain real-world work

experience related to his or her career aspirations while earning academic credit toward
graduation. Students are interested in an experience that is “more than just a job.” The
internship should consist of meaningful, career-related work assignment to help them
determine their career path.

How Can an Employer Benefit?

An internship is a win-win arrangement for the student and the employer. Here are some
of the possible benefits:
• Assistance during a crunch
• Assistance in completing special projects
• Savings in training costs
• More cost-effective and efficient method of recruitment
• Regular flow of talent
• Effective way to evaluate potential employees
• Good word-of-mouth advertising/public relations

What are the Details?

Internships are an average of 15 weeks in length and 5-10 hours per week for 1-2 credits
per semester. Students are responsible for the completion of their internship contract as
well and completing time sheets.

Role of the Sponsor/Mentor

• Plan the intern’s assignments and responsibilities and provide adequate

supervision so that the student can successfully carry these out.
• Orient the student to the organization, its culture, and their assignments
• Offer the student a rewarding internship experience by assigning challenging
projects and allowing students to participate in professional activities when
appropriate.
• Assist student in developing and achieving personal learning objectives.
• Provide guidance and offer corrective feedback to help student perform to their
maximum potential.
• Complete work based learning plan (provided by internship office at NHS) twice
during the semester.

For More Information Contact:

Donna Waterman, NHS Internship Coordinator

380 Elm Street
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 587-1332 E-mail: dwaterman@northampton-k12.us