Cascades Job Corps Center's
Work-Based Learning Program

Training Today's Youth for Tomorrow's Jobs

The goal of Cascades Job Corps Center is to prepare young adults for successful work lives while providing employers with workers who have the skills needed in today's work force.

You can offer work-based learning -- similar to an internship -- to Cascades Job Corps students for anywhere from three weeks to six months. Your business will get a motivated entry-level worker. Sharing your feedback with students and their instructors can improve a student's job performance and chances for success.

KEEP READING!

Work With a Job Corps Student Intern and You Gain:

• A well prepared, motivated, entry-level worker;
• More productive, adult employees energized as they fulfill their role as mentor;
• A reduction in your recruitment and training costs;
• Positive, public visibility in the community.

YOUR ROLE AS SITE SUPERVISOR

What You Need to Know

A Site Supervisor oversees a student intern in the workplace. You serve as teacher, mentor, and positive role model. A site supervisor helps the student employee enhance their occupational skills, build a strong work ethic, and develop their potential as a productive employee. You will be key to shaping an intern's experience and may play a significant part in launching the student into a successful career.

Your Objectives

Provide opportunities for interns to gain experience

Allow interns to perform tasks that are typical to the work setting. Provide them with as many varied experiences as possible. Encourage students to problem solve on their own, but remember--it may be their first attempt at completing your assignment. The more challenging and meaningful the tasks you assign to the student, the more rewarding their internship will be.

Prepare interns for the working environment

Sharing information about the workplace is an essential piece of internship training. You and your co-workers might discuss any or all of the following with the intern:

• Discuss your organization's goals or mission.
• Explain your job description, or what you do in a typical day.
• Introduce the use of equipment or tools common to your work.
• Describe career opportunities in your field.
• Describe what you like most and least about your job.
• Review the attitudes, values and education important to your field of work.

Offer useful feedback

Remind yourself that this may be the first workplace experience for the intern. It is important for the Site Supervisor to be patient and communicate effectively with the student. Review this list of helpful supervisory skills when dealing with your intern:

• Compliment good work habits or the acquisition of new skills.
• Acknowledge that what the intern is doing is a benefit to your workplace.
• Let interns know if you have concerns about their work habits.
• Provide continuous supervision.
• Discuss issues of concern with the student intern as soon as they arise.

Monitor job performance

Provide regular feedback to the student intern, the Work-Based Learning Specialist, and the Vocational Instructor. The Job Corps program depends on our employer partners to provide actual training experience that we cannot replicate in the classroom. Your input in this process is essential. We need your cooperation in the following:

• Complete a weekly evaluation of the intern's performance.
• Be frank and specific in your assessment of the student.
• Verify that the hours worked are recorded accurately.
• Limit non-paid interns to 25 hours of work per week.
• Ensure that the interns work safely!

Your honest assessment of the intern's performance helps us address specific training needs. Share this assessment with the student so they can improve their performance.

Please contact the WBL Specialist immediately if...

• The student intern does not show up to work at the assigned time.
• The intern continually arrives late or leaves early, or requests many days off.
• At any time you have a concern regarding the student's personal issues, skills or behaviors.
• The student is injured on the job whether the injury requires immediate medical attention or not.

Always Remember

Job Corps is here to support you 100%.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please don't hesitate to call
Therese Spaude-Larsen,
Work-Based Learning Specialist,
Cascades Job Corps Center.
(360) 854-2151
or email: spaude-larsen.therese@jobcorps.org