What is the Internship Program?

What is the Internship Program? Garden Spot High School allows high school seniors to have an opportunity to participate in an off-campus paid or unpaid internship. The students who typically participate in the internship program are the super-motivated, college-bound student who loves school! The goal of the internship is to allow students to have an authentic working experience that will help them determine their future career and educational path.

Legally, what factors determine an unpaid internship? All 6 conditions listed below must be met for the internship to be considered an unpaid internship. These 6 conditions were determined by the Pennsylvania Cooperative Education Guidelines for Administration – which is established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The training, even though it includes the actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a career and technical school;
The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;
The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under close supervision;
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern and, on occasion, its operations may actually be impeded;
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job after the internship; and
the employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

What is the role of the student? The student and mentor will need to determine the anticipated job duties/responsibilities that the student will perform. This will be agreed upon and placed on an internship agreement document (provided by the school). The job responsibilities should be related to the career interest of the student and should focus on learning and growing in the specified career field.

What is the role of the mentor and business? The mentor will guide the student with job responsibilities and soft skills to be successful in a career. The mentor will also be required to evaluate the student’s work performance two times per semester using the provided evaluation form. The mentor will also be required to have their clearances if the student is under the age of 18.

What is the time frame of the internship? The student must participate in the internship for 1 semester (Semester 1: the end of August – beginning of January. Semester 2: the beginning of January – end of May). The requirement is that each intern participates in their internship for 90 hours in a semester (or about 6 hours each week). Depending on the location of the business and the job duties being performed, the student could participate in the internship just 2 or 3 days a week.

Is this internship experience a paid or unpaid opportunity?
The business can decide if the internship is paid or unpaid.

Does workman’s compensation cover a high school intern?

Yes: If the internship is paid then the workman’s compensation covers the intern. The business will be required to submit their workman’s compensation policy number on the inter’s training agreement prior to the start of the internship.
No: If the internship is unpaid then the workman’s compensation does not cover the intern. If a student intern is hurt on the job, the employer’s liability insurance or the student’s health insurance will cover the student’s injuries.

What are the required clearances? If the student intern is under the age of 18, the mentor is required to have their clearances. The required clearances can be found here.

Choosing an Intern: After receiving internship applications, the business can then interview the potential candidates and determine who they would like to hire for the unpaid internship experience. The hiring decision will be communicated to both the student and the Internship Coordinator (Jill Hackman).

How Can I Participate? Complete the Internship Fair Form.

Who Do I Contact for More Information?
Jill Hackman
Internship Coordinator
jill_hackman@elanco.org