FAQs

Mentors like you are the cornerstone of our LTI program, and we thank you for becoming a mentor! A key part of their school experience is to go on shadow days and secure non-paid internships at local organizations and businesses. This enables our students to get a hands-on experience in their field of interest. They learn from the experts, not just in a traditional classroom, out of a traditional textbook. In fact, we consider our internships to be classrooms, and our mentors to be teachers!

Being a mentor allows you to make a positive impact on the lives of young people. You will be a role model and educator to a student who is passionate about your field of work. Through genuine relationships, mentors teach work ethic and model what it means to be an adult member of our community.

Our mentors have expressed profound personal and professional fulfillment through their work with our interns. In addition, being a mentor gives you the benefit of an intern who will contribute real work, and who will bring new perspectives and solutions to your organization.

Each mentor should demonstrate a commitment to their intern’s personal growth and workplace learning. Here are some important responsibilities of being a mentor:

• Communicate regularly with the student and advisor.

• Develop a schedule and learning plan with the student.

• Share resources and knowledge with the student, and teach by example.

• Set high expectations for the student, and hold the student accountable.

• Collaborate with the student on project ideas that will be beneficial for your organization.

• Evaluate the student’s performance at the conclusion of each semester.

• Attend the student’s annual exhibition on campus.

Item descriptionAn LTI Project is an authentic project that the student completes that benefits the student and the mentor at the internship site as part of their internship experience. The goal is for the student to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities at the internship site, and then apply these toward the creation of a deliverable, product, or event that will benefit the internship site and/or the larger community in a meaningful way. As a mentor, your role is to assist the student and advisor in developing ideas for an LTI Project, and then providing resources, coaching, and ongoing assessment to help the student successfully complete the project.

Students attend internships on Wednesdays for a minimum of 5 hours each day. Schedules are decided by the mentor and the student, and dependent on the mentor’s needs and the student’s transportation. We ask that you host the intern for a minimum of one semester (generally between 10 and 18 weeks, depending on when the intern starts). At the end of the semester, the student, advisor, and mentor evaluate the internship together, and decide whether to conclude the experience or to continue. Some interns stay at their internship only for one semester, while others stay for a whole year or longer. Each is a case-by-case situation, but we do ask for an initial one-semester commitment.

We support our mentors in any way we can. The student’s advisor is your primary point of contact for all questions. Advisors are required to visit your site once every three weeks to observe the student. During those visits, we ask that you be available to provide some feedback about the student’s performance, and to voice any concerns. In addition, the internship coordinator is also available to help, and can offer trainings as needed.

Yes. Our school district carries workers’ compensation and liability insurance that covers students away from school, between the hours of 7am and 7pm (up to 8 hours per day). We also evaluate the safety of internship sites and make sure the environment is suitable for a young person.

For our students’ safety and wellbeing, the school submits all mentors for background checks annually, starting each school year. We use an online system to scan for major criminal offenses. Mentors who don’t want to use our background check system may submit a copy of their own police background check as long as the copy is no more than one year old. Mentors whose employers have conducted a background check may submit a copy that is no more than one year old.

It is the responsibility of the intern to get to and from the workplace, and the school supports them by providing free bus passes and assistance in planning their trips.

Interns are at their internship for real world learning. Treat students as you would an employee, but understand that they are teenagers, and for many of them, this will be their first work experience. Though they will strive for professionalism, they will need some coaching. Set the standard you and your company expect, and please contact the school for support if a student is not able to meet that standard. Students must exhibit professional behavior at all times, including following all safety rules, actively listening and participating, respecting staff and avoiding personal use of technology. Mentors may terminate an intern if he or she is not able to demonstrate professionalism.

If you know in advance that you will be out, please let the student and advisor know. The three of you can decide the best course of action (e.g., having the student work with another employee, having the student take the day off, etc.). It is also helpful to establish a course of action for the student for times when you are out unexpectedly.

No. The student is getting a hands-on education from you, which is worth a great deal! However, we encourage our mentors to consider hiring our students after their internship concludes, either for summer employment, or a part-time job during the school year (evenings and/or weekends).

Students should bring a lunch from home if the work site does not provide lunch. However, mentors are free to provide meals for their intern if they are inclined to do so.

We sometimes have more than one intern at a site, but it’s best if each intern has their own dedicated mentor. There are responsibilities of mentoring that are difficult to extend to more than one student.

You will have contact information for your intern’s advisor, as well as the school’s internship coordinator. We ask that you contact us immediately if you are experiencing a problem.