Introduction to Intern Experience

Students are exposed to topics such as OSHA, and good employability skills, and are eventually tasked with finding a business to intern with. Students have interned at many different businesses and fields in this class, from the New Ulm Medical Center to Jensen Motors, the DNR to Minnesota Valley Funeral Home.

The program has been very successful not just for students but for local businesses as well. “One of the greatest successes of the program is hearing from former students who have been contacted by the employers from their high school internships to offer them full-time jobs after high school,” said Mrs. Brandt, who teaches the class at the CTE center. Not only do students gain valuable hands-on work experience, but companies receive a great candidate for a new employee if needed.

Students are at their intern site from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. On Mondays, the students meet to report their progress and complete a quick lesson. There is also an end-of-year presentation, where local businesses are invited to watch students report about where they interned and what they learned.

Many students feel the class is a great transition step from classroom learning to the workforce.  “It gives students a chance to go out into the real world and get experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise get from just being taught from a book,” said Leo Waloch, who is currently interned at Horace Mann Insurance Co. “It’s great to get out of the classroom and get some hands-on experience,” said Keenan Davis, a senior interning at Oak Hills Living Center, who plans to go to college for nursing.