I-WIN Resource Library – Education Systems Center at NIU

A Micro-Internship Model for Engaging High School Students: A Pilot of the Illinois Math Badging Initiative

The Illinois Math Badging Initiative (IMBI) aims to develop an Illinois high school math badging system. Aligned with IMBI’s goals, EdSystems conducted a 6-week, 30-hour, paid virtual micro-internship for high school students to explore real-world math applications, develop recommendations for integrating math into various activities, and connect their findings to career interests and classroom learning. This document details the micro-internship process, including the generated resources, lessons learned, and guidance on applying the model to additional contexts. It is intended for work-based learning coordinators, internship coordinators, employers, and other facilitators interested in implementing micro-internships.

Career Development Experience Design Template

Aligned to the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary, this template can help spark thinking and document the design for a career development experience.

Career Development Experience Toolkit

The Career Development Experience Toolkit, initially released in 2019 and updated in August 2024, adheres to the framework of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act for College and Career Pathway Endorsements. The guide and online resources are designed to serve any organization seeking to provide youth with rigorous work-based learning opportunities. Career development experiences are part of Illinois’ broader work-based learning continuum and refer to a broad array of experiential learning that addresses the components included in the statutory definition.

Career Development Experience Toolkit – Companion Piece

An extension of the Career Development Experience Toolkit, the Companion Piece aims to explore career development experiences and provide resources to address the needs of stakeholders outside of a traditional high school setting, including workforce development organizations, community-based organizations, and alternative high schools in order to serve youth more inclusively.

Career Development Experience Toolkit – Facilitation Guide

The Facilitation Guide provides a guided checklist for communities to design and implement a career development experience as a part of Illinois’ broader work-based learning continuum. This document is meant to be used in conjunction with the Career Development Experience Toolkit and Companion Guide, which outlines community models, best practices, and resources.

Career Development Experience Toolkit – Resources Bundle

A collection of resources and templates as part of the larger Career Development Experience Toolkit. These resources are meant to serve multiple audiences – from communities just beginning to develop a career development experience to those looking to enhance their offerings and ensure they are tied to real-world skills and opportunities for participants.

Career Exploration Template

Aligned to the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary, this template can help spark thinking and document the design for a career exploration experience.

Career Pathways Dictionary

The first-of-its-kind Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary now includes expanded and updated definitions as well as resources and implementation guidance on a new website, pathwaysdictionary.org.

Community Example: Aux Sable Gas Document Control Internship

Sample internship description for a Document Control Intern at Aux Sable Gas.

Community Example: Batavia High School Educator Roundtable Event Flyer

Example flyer for a high school education career exploration event featuring a wide range of positions in education.

Community Example: Boone County Manufacturing Internship

Boone County offered a variety of manufacturing career development experiences with community partners and shares their model, best practices, and lessons learned. Additionally they provide their internship position descriptions, employer 1-pager handout, employer flier, employer host resources parent/student information sheet.

Community Example: Bunker Hill High School Veterinary Technician Program

Career exploration template detailing event preparation and overview.

Community Example: Chicago Public Schools Girls in Future Careers Career Exploration

Flyer for career exploration event in which participants engage with female trailblazers in manufacturing, trades, healthcare, and IT.

Community Example: Clairemont High School Internship Program

Clairemont High School’s 12th grade students can participate in a Career Internship Placement course during their final year, which includes a field internship supervised by a CHS teacher. This model includes a program description, program flyer, intern request form, legal considerations, etc.

Community Example: Clairemont High School Mentorship Program

High school juniors in an academy at Clairemont High School participate in a Mentorship Program, where they are matched with adult mentors based on personality type and career interests. It is a one-year commitment which includes monthly 90-minute meetings covering topics like goal setting, academic progress, and career research. This model includes the full mentorship program description and mentor handbook.

Community Example: Crete-Monee Career Development Experience for Education Pathway Students

Crete-Monee High School and Practera co-designed how to utilize a virtual work-based learning platform to allow education pathway students to connect with education professionals asynchronously to support career exploration.

Community Example: Decatur Public Schools Essential Skills Training Program

Career exploration planning template for the Decatur Public Schools Essential Skills and Professional Etiquette Training Program detailing event overview and preparation activities.

Community Example: Elm Middle School Career Exploration

Elm Middle School offers career studies (CSI) courses as part of their College & Career Pathways Program. The following resource offers student and teacher perspectives on the pathways program as well as information about career studies elective courses.

Community Example: Greater Joliet YMCA, REACH, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Health Sciences Career Development Experiences

Greater Joliet Area YMCA, Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH), and Barnes-Jewish Hospital communities shared their health sciences career development experiences.

Community Example: Hoopeston Area School District Site Visits

Career exploration template for the Hoopeston Area Site Visits detailing event overview and preparation activities.

Community Example: McLaughlin and Moline Coal Valley School District Body Engineering Internship Program

Moline Coal Valley School District and McLaughlin Body Company student internship proposal detailing rationale, program overview, and intern activities.

Community Example: Metalstamp Quality Auditor Internship

Quality Auditor youth internship description from Metalstamp, manufacturer of precision metal stampings.

Community Example: Morrison High School Educator Pathway Experience

Morrison High School offered a year-long internship course where students will be placed each quarter with an educator in the district to learn and experience what a career in education is like in that position and with certain grades.

Community Example: NECSS Northwest Educational Council for Student Success Future Educators Conference

Journal article about the NECSS Future Educator conference, held with a goal to encourage diversity for future educators amidst teacher shortages.

Community Example: North Grand High School Code Nation Internship

The Code Nation internship utilized local partnerships with technology companies to teach students basic coding skills. Resources include internship description and sample jQuery project.

Community Example: North Grand High School Makerspace Internship

Details of the Makerspace Internship held at North Grand High School. The Makerspace Internship focused on utilizing an in-house makerspace to train student experts in Arts and Communication and IT. Resources include internship description, sample nomination letter, interview resources, bilingual 1-pager for equipment use, and equipment badging system.

Community Example: Northern Kane County Internship/Apprenticeship Model

Program overview video, sample program description, timeline, job descriptions, student application, student placement flowchart, and business partner development flow chart for manufacturing internships through the Northern Kane County Regional Vocational System EFE 110’s internship/apprenticeship program.

Community Example: NorthShore University Health System Student Internships

The NorthShore University Health System offers student internships to high schoolers and recent graduates in order to advance opportunity and equity for young people in their communities. These resources include the internship description as well as videos from various student interns about their experiences.

Community Example: Perfection Servo Manufacturing Internships

Perfection Servo provides a model for 10-week summer internships. Resources include electronic and hydraulic internship job descriptions and sample summer internship calendar.

Community Example: Plainfield District 202 Education Pathway Promotional Video

Plainfield District 202 worked with students to create a promotional video about the education pathway to show students before the course request season.

Community Example: Skokie Elementary Community Career Nights

Description of a career exploration event in Skokie Elementary District #69 to highlight career pathways aligned to high school programs and Oakton Community College through hands-on activities.

Community Example: Southern Illinois Future Teachers Coalition Student Swap

Event description for career exploration event in which students from two separate school districts swap high school students in their education programs.

Community Example: VALEES, Waubonsee and Northern Illinois Future Teachers Conference

VALEES, Waubonsee Community College and Northern Illinois University held a Future Teachers Conference for high schoolers to attend and learn about careers in education. These resources include an article about the model and the conference agenda.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns

To successfully scale manufacturing internships, employers need to better understand the many ways in which they can engage students under 18 and be prepared to thoughtfully mentor young people. This collection of one-pagers from the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and EdSystems, through the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative, guides employers in effectively hosting high school interns while championing equity in placement and career progression.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns – Connecting the Dots

A one-pager from the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) Employer Resources collection, this resource focuses on the post-internship phase. It provides a roadmap for companies to support interns in their transition to college and career readiness, ensuring a clear next step for those who complete the experience.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns – Cultivating Success

A one-pager from the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) Employer Resources collection, this resource offers guidance on fostering meaningful mentor-mentee relationships. It emphasizes the role of mentors in shaping the learning experience and ensuring the overall success of high school interns.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns – Navigating Legalities and Logistics

A one-pager from the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) Employer Resources collection, this resource provides employer models and resources to support companies to confidently engage high school students in manufacturing internships while complying with regulations.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns – Onboarding and Supporting High School Interns

A one-pager from the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) Employer Resources collection, this resource focuses on establishing a robust onboarding process for high school interns. It provides insights on creating a structured and supportive environment, enabling interns to thrive in their roles.

Employer Resources for Hosting High School Interns – Welcoming Young Talent

A one-pager from the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) Employer Resources collection, this resource outlines strategies for companies to create an environment that welcomes young talent, including preparing for high school interns, setting expectations, and fostering a positive work environment.

Final Projects from the Illinois Math Badging Initiative Micro-Internship

The Illinois Math Badging Initiative micro-internship invited high school students to explore real-world math applications, develop recommendations for integrating math into various activities, and connect their findings to career interests and classroom learning. Interns produced written reports detailing insights they gathered on capturing math outside the traditional classroom, samples of which are shared in this document.

HOSA-Future Health Professionals Competition

The HOSA competition is designed to motivate and provide a system for recognizing the competencies developed by students through class instruction, related job training, and related activities. View the rules, guidelines, and tools.

Illinois State Board of Education: Work-Based Learning Manual

This manual provides guidance for creating and improving work-based learning opportunities for K-12 students. Activities are designed to introduce career exploration as soon as possible, build increasingly interactive experiences, and maximize student exposure to careers and work-based learning opportunities by the time they complete secondary education. This resource is a living document, and ISBE would value any feedback or resources as they continue to update guidance.

Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science Resources

View course documents, videos, guides, and case studies from PLTW.

Recommended Technical and Essential Employability Competencies for College and Career Pathway Endorsements

The essential employability competencies, entrepreneurial mindsets, and technical skills, set forth in this document were developed through an iterative process involving public-private steering committees established pursuant to the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act in order to implement College and Career Pathway Endorsements.

Resource: Alignment Rockford Health Sciences and Technology Career Awareness

Alignment Rockford created a series of videos exploring the following health sciences careers: Advanced Practice Nurse, Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Community Health Coordinator, General Dentistry, Nurse Manager, Occupational Therapist, Pharmacist, Physical Therapist, Registered Nurse, Surgical Technologist

Resource: Alignment Rockford Human and Public Services Career Awareness

Alignment Rockford created a series of videos exploring the following human and public services careers: Early Childhood Teacher, University Education Dept Chair, University Director of Advising, University Provost – Vice President

Resource: Alignment Rockford Manufacturing Career Awareness

Alignment Rockford created a series of videos exploring the following manufacturing careers: Technical Specialist, CNC Machinist, Manufacturing Engineer, Welder, Mechanical Engineer.

Resource: BJC Healthcare School School Outreach and Youth Development Videos and Resources

BJC HealthCare provides programs that promote mental and physical wellness in schools and communities, including career awareness and career exploration opportunities.

Resource: Central Illinois Educators Stories and Resources

Stories and resources from faculty and staff in the education industry who are working both in the classroom and in non-teaching careers.

Resource: ConnectED Day at Work Video Series

A collection of videos to help youth better understand the working world in the 21st, and the skills needed to be successful. Videos are available for the following sectors: arts and entertainment, biomedical and health, business and finance, engineering, IT and design, and law and public service.

Resource: Educators Rising Career Exploration and Career Development Experiences

The EdRising Academy two-pager includes suggestions and considerations for observation settings and interviewees, as well as activities for assisting and internships.

Resource: Explore Health Careers Career Awareness Resource

A collaboration between healthcare professionals and associations to support health sciences pathways, this website explores careers in healthcare, including peer-reviewed career descriptions, and education pathways to those careers.

Resource: VALEES Exploring the Teaching Profession videos

Valley Education For Employment System (VALEES) created an animated video series in both English and Spanish exploring the teaching profession. The videos included are: Why Be A Teacher?, Dispelling Stereotypes of the Teaching Profession, Diversity in the Teaching Profession, and Financing a Teaching Degree.

Resource: VALEES, CAST, IVVC Internship micro-credential

Developed by Valley Education for Employment System, CAST, and Indian Valley Vocational Center, the IL Internship Micro-Credential is a course designed for employers to complete before hosting a high school intern. By earning a micro-credential, employers feel more prepared to take on an intern, and as an added benefit, the credential is a signal to local high schools that employers have done their homework and can be trusted with students.

Resources and Guidance for Supporting Young Women in Manufacturing

In partnership with the IMA Education Foundation, this resource specifies how to best support students at every stage on their journey from elementary to and through postsecondary, with a focus on shifting how we speak about and engage women in manufacturing experiences.

Scaling Work-Based Learning: Quality Criteria for Continuous Improvement and Equity

This resource is designed to help communities enhance their work-based learning programs and ensure equitable access for schools with varying capacities. It includes quality criteria, resources, and equity considerations for career awareness, career exploration, team-based challenges, career development experiences, and work-based learning systems and processes. Equity insights and student “I can” statements are also incorporated.

LIBRARY

Work-Based Learning Resources

Type:

Topic:

Connect

Find

Subscribe