Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Oct. 1
The Bethlehem Central School District offers students the opportunity to participate in work based learning. Known as the Career Exploration Internship Program, this program allows students the opportunity to get real world work experience and provides businesses with a no-cost way to get work done and create a workforce pipeline.
“Having Bethlehem CEIP students in our office at Albany Medical College has helped our office run smoother, and we were able to accomplish more tasks with a younger person around,” said Sarah Stark. “It is a wonderful program that not only helps students try out a career they may want to pursue but also opens doors for employers to find possible future employees.”
Anita Sanchez at the Pine Hollow Arboretum also has positive things to say about the program. Every year approximately 30 BCHS students volunteer at Pine Hollow. They attend monthly trainings at the Arboretum, and then teach the elementary students who visit in the spring. “The program has been essential to the development of Pine Hollow’s educational outreach efforts,” she said. “The Arboretum has minimal paid staff, and the community service of these interns has enabled the Arboretum to provide educational programs to thousands of elementary school students.”
In addition, the Arboretum hosts summer interns. “They are always a pleasure to work with - courteous, cooperative, and responsible,” she said. “They work on a variety of projects including photography, social media, writing articles for the website and newsletter, and creating educational materials. In return they receive career counseling and training in environmental science and natural history. Many of the students who work with our program have gone on to major in environmental fields in college.”
The International Union of Operating Engineers in Glenmont has hosted interns as well. Their interns learn how to operate heavy equipment, how to manage day-to-day operations of a business, how to budget, maintain up to date records, and more. “As a parent of two students in the Bethlehem Central School District I would hope they would also have the opportunity to take part in the Career Exploration Internship Program so they can see career options that are available after high school,” said William Gray, Training Director.
Certified Work-Based Learning teacher Tracy Farrell oversees the program. There are a range of ways businesses can participate including serving as a classroom speaker, offering job shadowing opportunities or hosting interns.
The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce has hosted interns since the program began. Interns have assisted with social media and public relations, database projects, special events, and more. “Because we are a small office with limited staff, an intern allows us to complete bigger projects in a shorter period of time,” said Erica Hogan, Communications and Program Associate for the Chamber. “We have also made the interns responsible for some of the smaller day-to-day tasks, which frees us up to focus on big picture projects. Our participation in the program is an affordable way to gain additional staff at the chamber, and it also allows us to give back to our community by helping to develop future professionals.”
For additional information contact Tracy Farrell at 518-439-4921 ext25287 or via email (tfarrell@bethlehemschools.org).
Original source can be found here.
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