FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                       November 4, 1999

Local School-to-Career Partnerships And
California Intern Summer 2000 To Increase Work-based Learning Opportunities Across The State

Annual Event Will Bring Statewide Recognition
To The Success Of School-to-Career

SAN RAFAEL, California -- The Governer's School-to-Career Advisory Council and the State Interagency Partners introduce the first annual California Intern Summer, beginning with the summer of 2000. Forty-two Local School-to-Career Partnerships and Region Leads throughout California endorse this initiative thus far. Active participation has been pledged in Northern California through BaySCAN, representing 15 partnerships in 13 counties, and in Southern California through the Southern California STC Communications Collaborative, representing 15 partnerships in five counties.

One of the main activities of School-to-Career (STC) is work-based learning. Most local STC partnerships set goals each year for increasing the quality of work-based learning opportunities, especially internships and service learning. Starting with the summer of 2000, California Intern Summer will engage thousands of employers and community members to partner with local schools to create and sustain work-based learning opportunities for students and teachers.

California Intern Summer will build on a number of events and strategic work over the next year, including national Groundhog Job Shadow Day, as a way to build momentum and employer enthusiasm towards supporting and building a sustainable STC system in California. California Intern Summer will increase the number of private and public partners who are working together to build quality work-based learning opportunities for students and teachers. The focus will be on opportunities that are meaningful, aligned with the principles of STC, and connected to learning in the classroom. Each year, local communities can set and achieve their own goals for increasing quality work-based learning opportunities.

This campaign will work toward engaging all stakeholders in a renewed commitment to build the necessary capacity to support STC during the fall and spring. This capacity is critical for each local community to be able to match students to quality learning opportunities, especially those that are connected back to the classroom.

Planning is underway to promote California Intern Summer through established network television partnerships across major media markets in the state. Additionally, necessary support materials (press packets and implementation guides), collateral (posters, stickers, and a video) and identity logos are being developed. Proposed guidelines will address what makes a quality internship/work-based learning opportunity, ideas for successful implementation of California Intern Summer, legal guidelines for employers, and establishing whether these opportunities should be paid or unpaid.

For more information or to provide feedback and support for California Intern Summer, contact:

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