CE Internship Program

Steps to Apply

1. Complete theSCC Internship Program Registration Form.
2. Email your updated resume, cover letter, and a PDF of your unofficial transcript to the internship coordinator at internships@sccollege.edu.
3. Attend an internship orientation workshop.  Check the internship webpage or the internship bulletin board in the Career Center for a current listing of workshops.
4. Check your email regularly for opportunities in your major.

Unpaid interns are required by federal law to register for a Work Experience Course and employers will be notified if a student drops the course.

Program Eligibility Requirements

• High school diploma or GED prior to applying to the program
• Current FOR CREDIT student
• Permission to work in the United States
• 18+ years-old

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Course Requirements

1. Enroll in a 1 to 4 unit class
   
   • Course may be repeated up to 16 units, 4 semesters
   • Unpaid internship: each 60 hours = 1 unit
   • Paid internship: each 75 hours = 1 unit
2. Attend a mandatory orientation meeting
   
   • No regular class meetings after the orientation
   • Your internship schedule is your class
3. Course grades are Pass/No Pass
4. There are NO BOOKS to buy

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Workman's Compensation

• The employer provides workman's compensation for paid interns.
• The District provides workman's compensation for unpaid interns.

Hours

• Unpaid interns may intern for no more than 20 hours per week.
• Paid interns may intern under regular labor laws and may claim up to a maximum of 20 hours per week, regardless of the number of hours worked.
• Employed students who are using their current job for Work Experience credit may claim up to a maximum of 20 hours per week, regardless of the number of hours worked.

For more information, contact the Internship Coordinator at internships@sccollege.edu.

Benefits of Partnering with Cooperative Work Experience Education

• An internship allows and employer to assess the intern as a potential employee, without any obligation to hire the intern.
• If the intern becomes an employee, employer training costs and employee turnover are minimized.  Nationally, 61. 9% of interns go to work for their internship employers.
• Employers establish a cooperative relationship with the college, providing an opportunity to influence vocational education and address industry training needs.
• CWEE students are often more motivated, enthusiastic employees because their work​is evaluated and translated into college units.

Workman's Compensation

•  The employer provides workman's compensation for paid interns.
• The District provides workman's compensation for unpaid interns.

Unpaid interns are required by federal law to register for a Work Experience Course and employers will be notified if a student drops the course.

Hours

• Unpaid interns may intern for no more than 20 hours per week.
• Paid interns may intern under regular labor laws and may claim up to 40 hours per week for Work Experience course credits.
• Employed students who are using their current jobs for Work Experience credit may claim up to a maximum of 20 hours per week, regardless of the number of hours worked.

For more information, contact the Internship Coordinator at internships@sccollege.edu.

To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) definition, all the following criteria must be met:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom.  It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student's academic coursework.
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

The six criteria established by the Department of Labor for unpaid interns are:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the employer's facilities, is similar to training that would be given in a vocational school.
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the student.
3. The intern does not replace regular employees, but works under the close observation of a regular employee.
4. The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern.  Occasionally, the operations may actually be impeded.
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time in the internship.

For more information, contact the Internship Coordinator at internships@sccollege.edu.