Internship Program
JVL Wildcat Internships open up an opportunity for lifelong independence and provide the tools necessary for students to develop accountability, networking and teamwork skills that help them shape and accomplish future goals. Active involvement in the workplace as a trainee is intended to challenge the student to higher academic and workplace skills standards and help to better identify careers of interest.
Participation in the Internship program is mandatory and students are expected to take their internship experiences as seriously as any other academic requirement. Students attend school one week and then internship the next week. Students will receive a stipend each internship week to defray costs while working. Students are expected to complete an Internship Portfolio centered on writing, research and activities. Completion of internship portfolios along with an evaluation from the employer and satisfactory attendance at the work site determines the number of credits each student is awarded for internship participation each term.
There is a wide array of internship sites ranging from office work to day care to health care. Students work closely with internship coordinators to determine the best fit for their career goals.
From a career perspective, the Internship Program:
- Exposes the student to a professional business environment.
- Gives the student entry-level experience by engaging the student in related tasks.
- Allows the student to spend quality time in areas of interest.
- Exposes the student to group situations and working with minimum supervision.
- Enhances the student’s resume with professional business experience.
The internship experience facilitates students in developing broader personal skills, such as:
- Developing a sound work ethic.
- Understanding professional dress and behaviors.
- Enhancing social and business decorum.
- Improving communication skills.
We slow it down so that the students can be up to speed. More than your usual internship class, we work with the students to help them understand their strengths and how those strengths can be used to achieve their goals. With the ever-changing job market and economy, the students need to not only be prepared to handle whatever is thrown at them, but also to learn to be capable in the face of discomfort. As a class, we study the past, present, and future of the workforce and what builds the entrepreneurial spirit that keeps this country going. By cultivating the information that we learn about the economy and what they learn about themselves, the students develop the building blocks they will need for their future successes in business.
