Completing a pre-apprenticeship internship provides students with workplace experiences and opportunities in a constructive environment that allows for professional growth. Below are just a few reasons why a student should consider completing an internship:
Career Exploration
- Opportunity to try out a field of work before dedicating years of school/funding to it
- If students are faced with multiple professional prospects, exploring them in an internship can help them make an informed decision
- Provides realistic exposure to what working in the field is actually like
- Key first step towards earning a software development apprenticeship right out of high school
Network Opportunities
- Interns meet with several industry professionals within TechSmart and have the opportunity to build professional relationships with them.
- Periodically, professionals from the industry volunteer their time to speak with and connect with interns. These speakers are from different areas of the tech industry and offer insight that TechSmart employees may not be able to give.
Develop Professionalism
Interns become responsible for many tasks including:
- Scheduling their availability and meetings with mentors
- Communicating with peers on their tasks and reviews
- Developing a professional network with LinkedIn
- Advancing their knowledge of workplace processes
Gain Professional Feedback
Interns will have to opportunity to get feedback from:
- Mentors who will be guiding and assisting interns whenever they need
- Guest speakers who will be joining weekly meetings
- Peers who are also going through the internship
Build their Resume
- Skills and experiences gained during the internship can boost their resume
- Letters of recommendation are available upon request
- 1:1 skill building meetings can be requested to expand skill section of resumes
Develop Self-Advocacy in Future Careers
With experience comes an understanding of what is normal, workplace practices. Interns will be able to protect themselves from:
- Unhealthy work/life balances
- Toxic work culture
- Lack of equality
- Poor communication
At TechSmart, we not only have a diverse and inclusive workforce for interns to collaborate with, but there is always someone to advocate for them when needed. TechSmart also teaches pre-apprenticeship interns how to advocate for themselves. This is done by giving interns the opportunity to provide feedback whenever possible. We ask interns to submit a feedback survey at the beginning of the internship and also do an exit interview. The feedback is used to improve the internship for the next round of interns. All to help them understand that their voice matters.
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