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Carlisle High students describe internships, pre-apprenticeship and work-based learning experiences
Summary
Students and co-op coordinators told the Carlisle Area School District finance and engagement committees about paid and unpaid internships, a pre-apprenticeship with the Edwin L. Haim Company, Quest Tech IT help-desk work, and healthcare and education placements.
Tracy Stritch, one of Carlisle High School’s cooperative education coordinators, introduced students at the board’s committee meeting to describe the district’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) and work-based learning programs.
The students — representing automotive, carpentry, engineering, health care, arts and IT pathways — told board members the experiences helped them decide on career paths and develop employability and “soft” skills such as communication and teamwork. Several students said internships were paid; others said they were unpaid, school-arranged placements intended to provide real-world experience.
Why it matters: Board members and administrators heard directly from students that the district’s CTE offerings connect classroom study to jobs and apprenticeships, and that local employers and institutions — including unions and hospitals — are partners in placement and career pathways.
Students and coordinators described multiple program types. Stritch said the district offers a “capstone co-op” for seniors in programs of study (for example, automotive, carpentry and engineering) that places students with businesses for paid or unpaid work. Internship placements allow students to gain experience in fields not offered as full CTE programs at Carlisle. “Diversified occupations” placements serve students who work while completing graduation requirements, including work in areas such as warehousing or banking.
Students provided examples: - Dylan Myers described a pre-apprenticeship with the Edwin L. Haim Company. He said his first-year work included prefabrication in a Harrisburg shop and later installations and maintenance at UPMC hospitals, including Carlisle and Harrisburg. Myers said the placement helped him earn income, decide to pursue an apprenticeship and build credentials for future hiring. - A student in the Quest Tech program said the internship runs the school help desk, teaching troubleshooting and customer communication and giving hands-on networking experience. He said he plans to study cybersecurity in college and that the internship provided both technical and soft skills. - Belma Bacherovich said she volunteered in the UPMC Carlisle emergency department and completed an exploration placement at Penn State Holy Spirit, and that she shadowed a physician assistant in neurology and watched procedures including EMGs. - Students in preschool and art placements described classroom support duties, preparing rooms and materials, reorganizing supplies and even teaching demos under teacher supervision.
Board members and administrators greeted the presentations with praise. Board president Paula Bussard and other trustees thanked students and staff for sharing practical outcomes and noting that work-based learning gives students a “leg up” entering careers or further education.
What’s next: The presentation was informational; no board action was taken at the meeting. Administrators and coordinators said they will return with routine personnel items related to summer and program staffing for formal approval at upcoming meetings.
