The idea of finding an internship in college is nothing new.
However, recent trends show that interning even before graduating from high school can be extremely beneficial. Not only does a high school internship look great on college applications, but it also helps students begin to narrow down their career goals.
Group Dekko’s high school internship program, Explore, presented its final project this week, an E-Shelf that the students helped design and manufacture. Their E-Shelf was auctioned off at the end of the program, with proceeds going to Riley Children’s Hospital. The interns chose Riley because of personal experiences they had with the organization.
As high school students, the Explore interns got a firsthand look at each step of the manufacturing process, and were able to see their project transition from idea to reality. Not only will this translate to any job they hold in the future, but it will help them take pride in completing projects at school.
The Explore Program exposes students to five departments at Group Dekko to get an idea of what each facet of the company does. The students choose where they want to spend their internship only after shadowing each department. Experiential learning helps students to discover what they like and don’t like, and a high school program like Explore lets students begin this process even earlier by showing them a variety of jobs within the company.
Additionally, the Explore Program works on three levels: students between their sophomore and junior year, students between their junior and senior year and an ICE (Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education) internship during their senior year. These internships can lead to a position with Group Dekko, reducing Indiana’s brain drain and filling the state’s middle skills gap.
The program goes beyond Group Dekko and takes students to nearby colleges and universities for firsthand exposure to the collegiate lifestyle. A few of the Explore team members said that they were not planning on attending college until visiting campuses with Group Dekko.
Group Dekko’s Explore Program underscores the importance of high school internships. The job search is daunting, and internships are a key way to decide what you want to spend your workdays doing. Summer jobs are the norm for high school students nationwide, but an internship during the school year or summer can be a great way to enhance your resume while gaining valuable experience.
