Even though we’re in the throes of winter, it’s not too soon to start thinking about summer. Did you know you can use Compass to connect with students for summer work-based learning opportunities, including internships and apprenticeships? Our online platform makes it easy to share jobs, gather applications, fill positions, and even help students earn credit toward high school graduation.
Creating opportunities in Compass
Any employer can create an account in Compass and share opportunities with students and schools across the region. Create a new account online to help students understand what your organization does, your culture, and how to find more information. Then, create a summer work-based learning (WBL) opportunity by selecting “Opportunities” and “Create New” under “Work-Based Learning.”
We recommend following these best practices:
- Provide a clear overview of what the opportunity entails. Describe whom the student will be working with and include high-level information about the job.
- Be flexible with the number of hours and schedule. For example, “every day for at least four hours” is specific enough. Include an estimate of the total hours for the experience. You just want to give students a general idea of what to expect and you can work out the details when you select a student.
- The “Publish” start and end dates indicate when the opportunity will be visible to students in Compass. The “Opportunity” start and end dates indicate when the job takes place. Estimates are fine.
- Under “Related Careers,” select careers from the drop-down menu that most closely align to your job. We use this to match students to your careers.
- Choose the schools you want to share this with, usually by including a ZIP-code radius from your physical location.
- Finally, hit “Submit.” Your opportunity will be shared with school professionals and students for review.
How your opportunity can include academic credit
Summer work-based learning jobs and internships are fantastic opportunities for students to earn academic credit toward graduation.
In North Dakota, for example, students are encouraged to have a workplace experience of more than 40 hours that counts towards Choice Ready, a state initiative that measures how ready students are for after graduation. Many schools encourage students to take it a step further by selecting an opportunity that also earns academic credit, known as WBL.
For your summer opportunity to qualify for WBL, you need to visit with a school’s WBL coordinator about job details. If a student is taking classes that relate to your opportunity, it could count as WBL. For example, a student taking food or culinary classes could complete a WBL by working in a restaurant. A student taking business and marketing classes could complete a WBL by working in an office.
You can find the school contacts within Compass or reach out to us to help you make the connections. It’s a win for you, the student, and the school!
Using events to highlight your opportunity
A few upcoming events can help you highlight your summer opportunities and connect with students. Fargo (ND) North High School is hosting a fair March 11 for employers offering summer or part-time jobs. Grand Forks, ND, is hosting Cash in on Summer student jobs fairs April 29 at Red River High School and May 7 at Grand Forks Central High School. Grafton, ND, is hosting a summer internship fair in April at the North Valley Career & Technical Center (exact dates to come).
Watch our monthly e-newsletter for more events. We also directly email events and registration information to employers with Awareness or higher membership levels. Contact us to upgrade your membership level, ensuring you don’t miss out on opportunities.
Partnering with Operation Intern and other programs
The state of North Dakota’s Department of Commerce offers Operation Intern to help offset the costs of hiring students for both high school and college internships. The window for application is tight and opens Feb. 3. Funds are awarded quickly, so be sure to look into the program as soon as possible if you are interested.
Regional programs are also available, such as Intern GF for college internships in Grand Forks. Each Job Service Center in North Dakota is also trained in WBL and can help you understand how to use programs like Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
For more information
Please contact us if you have questions about summer jobs, internships, using Compass, and building your future workforce. We can also connect you to the schools or community members who can help you set up your opportunities or find funding.
New story on our blog: Learn how a regional employer is using Compass and in-person student visits to hire future diesel technicians.