The New Mexico Public Education Department is now accepting applications for its Summer Enrichment Internship program. This statewide initiative gives high school students the opportunity to gain real working experience while also earning a paycheck.
This comes after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted classrooms and impacted the workforce, the New Mexico Public Education Department launched this program to help students reconnect with both education and early job opportunities.
The program has served over 10,000 students so far. PED Deputy Secretary for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Amanda DeBell said the goal is to not only offer job experience, but also build connections close to home for job seekers and employers.
“Year over year, students say that their communication, their organizational skills, their ability to self-direct have all been improved,” said DeBell.
Once students are matched with a local employer they will work on the job site for 14 hours a week while their remaining six hours are dedicated to professional skill building. Placements range anywhere to fields like banking, agriculture, and even early childhood education.
There is no cost to employers. The nonprofit Education at Work handles payroll, onboarding and insurance coverage to encourage businesses to participate.
DeBell said the paid, eight-week program is expected to place about 2,000 students this summer.
“That is really the desire is to create great matches with students who are coming up in their own communities,” said DeBell.
The summer internship program launched with federal grant funding. It’s now supported by the New Mexico Legislature, government agencies, tribal governments, and community-based organizations.
DeBell said looking to the future, the department would like to see these partnerships expand to opportunities for students during the school year.
“We would love to see students who might need a four-year or a two-year program to then go back and work in their communities where they first started at their internship initially,” DeBell said.
Applications for students and internship host sites are open now through March 31st.
This coverage is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners like you.
