Chandler Unified outlines yearlong push to expand internships, launches MITE class in fall 2025

Patrick Brown, coordinator of workforce development for Chandler Unified School District, told the governing board on April 23 that the district is expanding employer partnerships and will launch a two-semester class called MITE (Mentorships, Internships and Careers) in fall 2025 to prepare juniors and seniors for internships and postsecondary work.

Brown said the district has added about 19 new business and organizational partners over the past two years and described a range of employer relationships, from local small businesses that provide flexible, remote or project-based internships to larger partners brokered through ElevateEd, a third-party workforce connector with relationships at companies such as Bank of America, Mayo Clinic and Honeywell. "We had about 56 exhibitors [at the Build for Tomorrow Expo] and about 160 community attendees," he said, summarizing a recent career fair at Perry High School.

Why it matters: Brown and district staff framed workforce development as a multi-year pathway — beginning with kindergarten career literacy conversations and moving through CTE classes, apprenticeships and internships — intended to give students both technical credentials and the soft skills employers expect. The MITE course is designed to create a predictable, teacher-supervised pathway that employers can rely on when placing interns.

What Brown proposed and what the class will do

Brown described MITE as a two-semester, for-credit course aimed at 11th- and 12th-grade CTE completers. The first semester is classroom-based and focuses on career exploration, resume/portfolio development, job search skills, workplace professionalism, basic income management and legal/ethical employment issues. "The first semester we consider building skills for career success," Brown said. In the second semester students complete internships, paid or unpaid, and must meet the state requirement of 30 hours of supervised work in order to earn academic credit.

District staff said six CTE teachers will write and teach the MITE curriculum. Teachers will act as the teacher-of-record and on-site liaison; each internship site will be visited by the teacher at least three times during the placement.

Partnerships and pilot examples

Brown described three partnership models: 1) large-company arrangements brokered through ElevateEd that place a district staffer on campus (initially at Chandler High and Basha High); 2) project-based relationships with firms that cannot host minors on campus for security or IP reasons (district staff will design classroom projects using AutoCAD, 3-D printing and existing lab resources); and 3) small-business placements where owners provide mentorship and often flexible, part-time or remote work.

He cited an example with Tutor Doctors, where a student filled an unpaid, project-based social-media/content role that later converted to paid employment after the business negotiated a salary with the student.

Early metrics and goals

Brown reported 23 internship placements in the previous school year and 30 placements in the current school year, across program areas that included agriscience, culinary, digital photography, marketing, media and film, sports medicine and software and app design. Brown said the district seeks to increase placements by expanding employer relationships and by using the MITE class as a centralized point of contact and support for internships.

Challenges and solutions discussed

Board members and staff pressed on accessibility and liability. Brown and other staff said liability and minors' ability to sign NDAs limit placements with some technical employers; the district's solution in some negotiations is to assign classroom-based, project-focused work rather than on-site access to proprietary systems. Transportation was identified as a barrier: district staff said students currently must provide their own transportation for most on-site internships, though the district is discussing options — including Chandler Flex, partnerships with ElevateEd, and possible support from the Chandler Foundation — to provide rides when necessary.

Staff and board members also discussed equity and eligibility. District staff said the program will prioritize CTE completers (students who have met technical standards and earned industry-recognized credentials) so employers can be assured of technical readiness; the MITE course itself will be limited to 11th- and 12th-grade students who are CTE completers.

Statements from the meeting

"We want students who are completing our programs entering into work-based learning," Brown said, describing MITE's purpose. He also told the board, "we're looking at developing individuals' capabilities first, so they're able to be self-directed learners," when explaining the district's workforce-development approach.

Speakers

Patrick Brown — coordinator of workforce development, Chandler Unified School District (staff) Lindsay Duran — district staff member, introduced the presentation (staff) Mrs. Matson — CTE staff member (title not specified in transcript) John Narducci — superintendent (government) Board members who asked questions: Barb (board member, full name not specified), Mr. Morris (board member), Mr. Rohrs (board member)

Clarifying details

- New partnerships: about 19 in the last two years (approximate) - Build for Tomorrow Expo: ~56 exhibitors, ~160 community attendees (approximate) - Internship placements: 23 last year; 30 this school year (reported by presenter) - MITE target grades: 11th and 12th (stated) - Course design: two semesters; semester two requires 30 hours of supervised internship for academic credit per State of Arizona requirement (stated) - Course instructors: six CTE teachers will develop and teach the class (stated) - Noted industry partners: ElevateEd's network (examples named: Bank of America, Mayo Clinic, Honeywell), local conversations with Honeywell and Intel, and an unnamed technical distribution company in early discussions (stated) - Example employer success story: Tutor Doctors converted an unpaid project into a paid hire (stated) - Transportation: students currently provide their own transportation for on-site internships; Chandler Flex and other supports are being explored (stated)

Community relevance

Geography: Chandler and the East Valley Impact groups: juniors and seniors in CTE programs, CTE completers, students without reliable transportation, local small-business employers Funding or supports mentioned: CTE grants (district-supported industry credentials), ElevateEd partnership, potential Chandler Foundation support for transportation

Meeting context

Engagement level: presentation followed by an extended Q&A; the workforce update occupied the study-session portion of the April 23 meeting and prompted questions from multiple board members and staff (speakers_count: approx. 7, duration_minutes: approx. 49, items_count: 1; approximate values) Implementation risk: medium — depends on employer buy-in, liability limits, transportation solutions, and teacher capacity History: district staff said the role has been piloted and refined since Brown's first year in the position; the MITE launch is planned for fall 2025

Searchable tags:["workforce-development","CTE","internships","MITE","ElevateEd","Chandler Unified"]

Provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"block_295.26","local_start":0,"local_end":238,"evidence_excerpt":"We're gonna go ahead and get started. Patty texted me and asked me to go ahead and, start the meeting. She because she is running a little late right now. I'd like to welcome you to, our Wednesday, 04/23/2025 study session. We're going to begin this evening, with the workforce development update, and, missus Duran and mister Brown will be, leading that discussion this evening.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_3230.665","local_start":0,"local_end":131,"evidence_excerpt":"have. Thank you for that, mister Brown. I'm sure we have some comments and questions. So I will open up the floor. Who would like to comment first?","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},

salience:{"overall":0.62,"overall_justification":"District staff presented a multi-year program with measurable outputs (internship counts, partnerships) and a concrete launch date (fall 2025); affects many students and local employers.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Directly affects Chandler Unified students, employers and schools in the East Valley.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Significant for local education and employer partners; not a state- or national-level policy shift.","novelty":0.45,"novelty_justification":"MITE codifies a class-based internship pipeline within CUSD; similar programs exist elsewhere, but this is new to the district.","timeliness_urgency":0.55,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Launch planned for upcoming fall term; decisions about placements and rosters are time-sensitive.","legal_significance":0.20,"legal_significance_justification":"Touches on state requirements for academic credit (30 hours) but does not impose new statutory rules.","budgetary_significance":0.32,"budgetary_significance_justification":"Relies on existing CTE resources, partnerships, and possible foundation support; budget impacts are moderate.","affected_population_estimate":1200,"affected_population_estimate_justification":"Estimate based on six campuses offering the course and district CTE enrollment; exact rosters not finalized.","affected_population_confidence":0.30,"affected_population_confidence_justification":"Enrollment numbers were not finalized in the meeting and were described as potentially low in the pilot year."}