Providing a quality internship for every student is one of our main objectives at NAF. This interactive panel discussion will address key steps to ensure the NAF internship is a game-changing experience for every student and will clarify the role everyone – educators, employers, students and parents – needs to play. Best practices will also be shared, enabling participants to draw from their experiences and share their own perspectives.

1. #NAFNext2014
Providing Students a Quality Internship:
Keys to Success

2. ERICH DE LA FUENTE
 Chief Executive Officer – EDF Communications
 NAF National Advisory Board Member
 Alumni Leadership Council Chair
 Advisory Board Leadership Council
 Miami-Dade County Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
Advisory Board Member
 NAF NEXT Alumni Award 2012
 Graduate of 1989 NAF Academy
WHO WE ARE
#NAFNext2014

3. KIT BECNEL
 AOIT Director - Carencro High School 10 Years, Lafayette, LA
 NAF Advisory Board Leadership Council 3 years
 (Academic Support Officer 2 Years)
 NAF Network Leadership Council 2 Years
 Janet Linton Award 2010
 NAF Distinguished Academy 2009
 Distinguished NAF Design Studio 2009
 Aldo Papone Award 2007
WHO WE ARE
#NAFNext2014

4. Carencro High School
 Student body 1096 (Comprehensive High School)
 Title I – (62%) Free and Reduced Lunch
 56% Non-White / 44% White
 48% Female / 52% Male
 Students with disabilities 17%
Academy of Information Technology
 Student body 156 (Four year curriculum)
 Title I – (62%) Free and Reduced Lunch
 38% Non-White / 62% White
 35% Female / 65% Male
 Students with disabilities 2%
DEMOGRAPHICS
#NAFNext2014

5.  Internships are part of a continuum of work-based learning
 Internships are compensated
 Internships address education equity
 Internships are based on identified youth interests and learning
objectives
 Internship experiences align with academic learning
 Internships produce valuable work that furthers employers’
organizational goals
 All participants are prepared for and reflect upon internship
experiences
 Systems are in place to support internship participants throughout the
experience
 Internships are assessed against identified youth interests and learning
objectives
 Internships occur in safe and supportive environments
NAF GOLD STANDARDS
#NAFNext2014

6.  100% success rate in achieving compensated internships since
the year of inception 2004 including 504 and special education
students
 Internship program takes place during the 1st five weeks of
the summer break between the junior and senior year of high
school
 Average summer internship class: 25 – 33
 33% of interns are asked to continue their internship
AOIT INTERNSHIPS
#NAFNext2014

7. Students
Curriculum Preparation
 Is your curriculum in line with
local business/industry needs?
 Be flexible-meet the academic
standards/outcomes but flexibility
in the curriculum is needed
 Ensure students’ skill sets are
useful in the workforce and meet
the local community’s needs
 Century 21st and soft skills are
integral
PREPARATION
Director
Assessment Meeting
 Reach out to your local businesses
to find out what are their
workforce needs
 Let them know your program is
interested in helping fill those
needs
 Make them a stakeholder in their
future workforce
 Let them know about the
internship program but don’t hard
sell it
#NAFNext2014

8. BUSINESSES
 Identify areas in your company where intern can contribute to
the business while obtaining a valuable experience
 Task a company executive to serve as your internship liaison to
the local academies in your areas
 Conduct a meeting with Academy Director(s) and/or Advisory
Board Members from which you are planning to hire interns
PREPARATION
#NAFNext2014

9. Students
Pre-Internship Assessment
 Meet with students individually
as they fill out their own self
assessments
 Discuss the internship and ask is
it in line with their career path
 Create an action plan with
director
 Evaluate and use this assessment
in placement studying their
career path with possible or
currently established internships
ASSESSMENT
Director
Managing Expectations
 The director and a community
business partner meet with
interested sponsors
 A clear picture of what the
business expects from the intern
and what the intern expects from
the business is formed
 This step is an essential part of a
long term partnership
#NAFNext2014

10. BUSINESSES
 Convey clear expectations of what the company expects from
the intern and what the programs expect the students to gain
from the internship experience
 Develop a detailed job description for interns including job
performance evaluation metrics; highlight necessary skills for
the job and salary expectations
 Ensure that job description is posted on the company’s
website and communicated appropriately to the academies;
also provide company’s policies and regulations
ASSESSMENT
#NAFNext2014

11. Students
Internship Prep
 Internships require preparation on
both the student and parent’s
part
 Set expectations now. Hold
mandatory meetings (7 months
and 6 weeks prior) to internship
 Fill out necessary paperwork early
 Hard deadlines
 Internships are SERIOUS business
RIGHT MIND SET
Director
Internship Recruitment
 Now that you have begun to
establish a relationship with local
businesses, reconnect with them
in 6 months
 Emphasize that they are the
driving force in the community
and if they want quality workers,
then participation in education is
a must
 The internship program is a way
for them to gauge strengths and
weaknesses of the future
workforce
#NAFNext2014

12. BUSINESSES
 Understand that the private-public sector partnership is
essential to NAF’s success: good education and work
experience will lead to a higher quality work force
 Think of interns as potential future employees at your company
 Give interns opportunity to learn and grow
 Hold interns accountable for their responsibilities
 Internships are a practical and cost-effective way to evaluate a potential
employee
 This is an opportunity to establish a long-standing win-win
relationship with the academies in your area
RIGHT MIND SET

13. Students
Faculty Input
 Director meets with other faculty
members to begin placing
students with internships
according to skills sets
 Students must have the correct
skills as well as the necessary soft
skills in order to be successful in
their position
 A good match is a HUGE KEY to a
successful internship experience
for both the intern and provider
MATCHING STUDENTS AND BUSINESSES
Director
Community Partner / AB
 Community partners can assist at
this phase in the placement
process
 They will offer great insight as to
the state of modern business
practices, workplace culture,
expectations, etiquette and
necessary skill sets
 Send 2 – 3 prospective interns to
interview
#NAFNext2014

14. Attempt to place interns based on:
 Student interest
 Student strengths in particular academy themed areas
 Special needs of students/collaboration with Special Education
Facilitator
 Internship provider attitudes and expectations
 Job description of internship provider
MATCHING STUDENTS AND BUSINESSES
#NAFNext2014

15. BUSINESSES
 Set up formal review process of all CVs provided to select the
best candidates based on the skills required for the position
 Manage the process as you would do for candidates applying for
a regular position
 Have at least one other company executive (preferably from the
division intern will work) interview the intern candidate
 Upon obtaining feedback from your team, conduct personal
interviews of the top candidates and select the best candidate(s)
MATCHING STUDENTS AND BUSINESSES
#NAFNext2014

16. Students
Spring Meeting
(4-6 Weeks Prior)
 Parents and students must attend
a mandatory meeting in the spring
 This meeting covers the school
policies, paperwork, curriculum,
grading, etc.
 It also helps the parents with what
is expected of them through the
duration of the internship
PRIOR TO INTERNSHIP
Director
Last minute details
 At this point, the sponsoring
businesses should be 100% on
board
 Businesses should know what to
expect from their intern and what
the intern should expect from
them
 Any last minute details can be
addressed during this time
#NAFNext2014

17. BUSINESSES
 Either you or direct supervisor overseeing the interns’ work
should communicate with the intern to establish:
 Starting date
 Review job descriptions and responsibilities
 Appropriate work attire
 Compensation procedures
 Job performance evaluation tools and metrics
PRIOR TO INTERNSHIP
#NAFNext2014

18. Students
Student Engagement
 Students report back to the
director daily via online blogs
 It is important for the director and
faculty to watch for changes in
posts that would indicate a
negative experience or workplace
situation
 Students document their work
DURING THE INTERNSHIP
Director
Business Engagement
 The director and faculty visit with
the internship providers and
interns every other week
 The key –partnership interaction
between the academy and the
businesses is crucial for this
partnership to succeed in the
future
#NAFNext2014

19. Academy faculty visit both the intern and work supervisor bi-
weekly
Initial visits allow for clarification of work supervisor duties
Individual conversations with both the intern and work
supervisor allows each to speak frankly about the internship
Special visits occur when the work supervisor reports a
problem or when we discover issues on the job
Academy faculty counsels with the intern for as long or as
many times as it takes to have a positive experience
Consider a special education specialist as an internship
coordinator or provide a special task force to assist with
special needs
DURING THE INTERNSHIP

20. BUSINESSES
 Assign tasks to the intern as you would any other junior
executive so he/she can learn the most from the work
experience
 Have intern participate in meetings and accompany you to
events so he/she can experience the corporate world
atmosphere
 Establish a reporting mechanism with the intern to provide
guidance as well as constructive feedback
 Conduct regular meetings with the Academy Director to
ensure all is going well
DURING THE INTERNSHIP
#NAFNext2014

21. Students
Post Follow-up
 Final Report - Students provide a
final MLA report of their work
experience including what they
learned, research about the
company, the challenges,
successes and failures
 Student reflection on their
workforce experience
AFTER THE INTERNSHIP
Director
Post Follow-up
 Internship providers are
acknowledged and thanked during
the internship closing ceremony
 The goal is for businesses to
continue to be actively engaged
partners supporting the academy
during the year
 Develop relationships instead of a
once-a-year source for internship
money
 Ultimately, these partnerships will
grow beyond just internships
#NAFNext2014

22. BUSINESSES
 Conduct a full evaluation of the intern’s job performance
 Praise all positive aspects of his/her work
 Provide constructive feedback on areas that need
improvement and provide suggestion
 Hold final meeting with Academy Director to provide full
evaluation and provide recommendation
 Get involved in your local academy in order to:
 Have better understanding of the program
 Select students with necessary skills for your company
 Give back to the community and positively impact students’
future
AFTER THE INTERNSHIP
#NAFNext2014

23. Documents and Other Resources:
http://www.tinyurl.com/WBL-Carencro
RESOURCES & SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

24. Kit Becnel: kitbecnel@yahoo.com
Erich de la Fuente: erich@edfpr.com
THANK YOU