WorkPlace Learning
WorkPlace learning activities remove the student from the
controlled classroom or lab environment so they can experience
a live production. The range and quality of these experiences
vary from organization to organization.
Field Trip-A group of students visiting a company and
touring the networking facility, wiring closets, work environment
and asking questions.
Job Shadowing-A one-to-one, student-to-professional,
relationship where the student follows a network professional
on the job and asks questions. Student interaction with technology
here is minimal.
Internship-Here the student is implementing classroom
knowledge in a live production. The tasks are usually low
risk but valuable to the supervisor.
"We placed 35 students on paid internships making $8.50
per hour. It was a summer internship for between four to
six weeks."
Greg Murray
Communities in Schools
Detroit, MI
"Our internships begin at the completion of Semester
2. That is usually after 12 weeks of intensive training.
They're a bit burned out and starting to drag. Once they
start their internships, they are reenergized. The curriculum
becomes real and the grades show it."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
Apprenticeship-Apprenticeship is the process of
learning a skilled occupation through both on-the-job training
(practical, paid experience) and formal study of the technical
material. Training is under the guidance of experienced
master workers. The length of training varies depending
on the occupation.
Finding Opportunities
for Students
Networking Academies have been very creative in finding
workplace learning experiences for their students. Most
start by contacting their current supporters: members of
the board of directors, the advisory board, or people who
have provided support in the past.
Some Networking Academies have worked with IT vendors that
provide services to the organization and some have started
from scratch with the yellow pages and a passionate belief
in their product. It's not always easy.
"We created an e-mail information package that included
resumes, a brochure highlighting benefits to their company
and the Cisco curriculum. We also put up a web site with
pictures of students in action and the names of companies
that had already taken interns. We found it was more effective
to speak to the IT Manager, sell him or her on the idea
and then work out the details with Human Resources."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York City
Sample:
BMCC Internship Marketing Letter
Some Networking Academies use the Cisco
Partners and Resellers list to market their students,
uncover potential partners and explore job openings for
their graduates
Cisco has launched its Workplace
Learning Site to match registered Academy students with
interested employers in their area.
top
Making the Experience Valuable
for Students
There's nothing more frustrating than sending a student to
a company for a work-based learning experience in technology
and finding out they made photocopies all day. Less dramatic,
but also frustrating, is having a student return from an experience
and not be able to communicate what they did or learned from
the experience.
"We have Scavenger Hunts. The students are given a list
of questions. Each student is responsible for one question.
The class goes to a company and they are responsible for
asking the tour leader the questions and bringing back the
information. This can be overwhelming for the company's
tour personnel, but we let them know in advance."
Carlos Colom
Alameda County Office of Education
Hayward, CA
"We created a guide for the intern and one for the internship
supervisor. We review both guides with the student. The
student delivers the supervisor's guide to his supervisor
with the Networking Academy contact information if they
have questions or concerns. The student keeps a journal
and there are class sessions where students share their
experiences."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
Preparing the student in advance is important. They should
know what to document, where and when. There should be an
evaluation of the student by the mentor and the student
should be aware of this.
Samples:
Borough of Manhattan Community College Internship Guide
top
Training Mentors
Mentors or intern supervisors appreciate guidance on what
is expected from them, what they can expect from students,
how much time an internship will take, and how it will benefit
them.
"We knew many of these technicians didn't have management
experience. They had no time for a workshop and some didn't
want to admit that they had no idea what to do. We provided
the most passive type of training we could without running
the risk of insulting someone. We put together a Supervisor's
Handbook. It covered Getting Acquainted, Coaching, Counseling,
Setting Goals and Limits, Handling Problems, and Evaluating
Intern Performance. It also had the name of a Networking
Academy contact person for any serious matters."
Acte Maldonado, Dean
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
Samples from the Borough of Manhattan Community College:
Internship
Supervisor's Handbook
Internship
Supervisor Letter
top
| 
