term

career development experience

DEFINITION

A supervised work experience relating to an individual’s career area of interest that includes the following:

  1. A course transcription and corresponding school credit for the experience, compensation of the student’s work hours for the career development experience, or both.
  2. A workplace with authentic working conditions and tasks that include, but are not limited to, timekeeping, evaluation of work, responsibility to adhere to safety protocols, or adherence to the organization’s standard operating procedures. The workplace experience must reinforce the relevant technical and essential employability competencies.
  3. Collaboration between the school district and the community or business partners in developing and monitoring the experiences.
  4. Feedback is given to the student.
  5. At least 60 hours of participation completed by the student through a single experience or across two experiences; however, no individual experience may be less than 20 hours.


In addition to workplace settings in business or community partner locations, a supervised career development experience may include a workplace setting that is:

  • based in the school district if the setting is authentic and the district employee serving as a supervisor is fulfilling the role of an industry mentor or supervisor rather than the role of a classroom teacher; or
  • virtual if it includes authentic virtual, remote, or hybrid working conditions and a mentor or supervisor who is an employee of the workplace’s organization.
NOTE

The College and Career Pathways Endorsements system identifies seven career areas:

  • Agriculture, food, and natural resources
  • Arts and communications
  • Finance and business services
  • Human and public services
  • Health sciences and technology
  • Information technology
  • Manufacturing, engineering, technology, and trades

For a crosswalk of the endorsement areas and their related career clusters, visit isbe.net/pathwayendorsements.

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE

Career development experiences may include any of the following, provided the experience meets the definitional criteria: internship, school-based enterprise, supervised agricultural experience, workplace learning education, research apprenticeship, remote work for a client or employer, student-led enterprise, or youth apprenticeship. However, a career development experience may not consist solely of technical training by an education provider.