Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Internship Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Torrance Unified proposes paid high-school internship pipeline for expanded-learning sites
Summary
District staff outlined a new paid internship program that would place high-school students at elementary expanded-learning sites; interns would be 16+, receive baseline training, and be supervised by lead instructional assistants with a target minimum of ~28 interns initially across 14 sites.
Torrance Unified staff proposed a paid high-school internship program to place older students in expanded-learning (after-school and summer) sites, presenting it to the board as a workforce pipeline and career-pathway initiative.
Jeff Neel, presenting under the leadership of Justine Lang, described the plan: interns would be 16 or older, ideally have a 2.5 grade-point average (waivable with a teacher reference), receive the same baseline professional-development training used for instructional assistants, and work under an adult lead instructional assistant on campus.
"We want these high-school students the opportunity to get some practical experience in the workforce to help develop some skills for them in child care and education," Neel said. He said the program aims for two to three interns on campus each day across 14 sites, which would translate to a minimum of about 28 interns initially, with flexible scheduling to accommodate students' other commitments.
Trustees asked about interest and training. Neel said an introductory email to high-school principals produced 24 applicants from one school within a day; the district has prepared onboarding and professional development and will coordinate with Human Resources on references and payroll.
Board members expressed support and asked staff to return with implementation updates. The proposal does not require board approval to begin outreach and hiring; staff said funding is available to pilot the program this year.
