Orange County Sanitation District Student/ Vocational Internship Program Introduction & Overview An internship program offers OCSD the opportunity to do something for its community and to help develop and prepare the future workforce. In addition, it is an excellent environment for students to develop workplace readiness skills, gain practical work experience, and learn about different career opportunities. OCSD s internship program will be part of a student s educational plan to explore a given career path that integrates classroom study with planned, supervised work. It will allow students to explore opportunities at OCSD, establish professional relationships, receive mentoring, gain realistic exposure to public employment, and provide OCSD with innovative ideas and a motivated temporary addition to the workforce. Goals There are a number of different goals and objectives that OCSD expects to accomplish with the Student/Vocational Internship Program. These goals reflect OCSD s desire to help students, give back to the community, and provide a cost effective means to promote an experienced labor pool for the future. Provide career-related knowledge and experience to students. Give students real-world exposure to new trends and professions. Give students the opportunity to gain experience in a diverse work environment. Provide students with professional and technical on-the-job experience. Help students build professional contacts and relationships. Provide realistic exposure to OCSD values and attitudes of public employees. Help educate communities, universities, and colleges on environmental protection issues. Assist students in choosing a career path within their specific field of study. Assist students in gaining credit for college courses (where applicable). Assist students in financing college classes through paid internships. 1
Increase the pool of qualified applicants who can meet the current and future workforce demands for OCSD and other public agencies. Promote collaboration between employers and educators to support workforce development. Help create OCSD name recognition among students, universities/ colleges and the community. Provide benefit to OCSD by integrating the student as an operating member of OCSD. Program Requirements Internship General Requirements Interns are not considered regular employees and therefore are not eligible for benefits (retirement, health, dental, sick, vacation time, etc.) or holiday pay. Below is the list of requirements that apply to all internships with OCSD. The specific internship programs have additional requirements, also provided in this document. Internship positions must be requested and approved through OCSD s budget process. The requesting division prepares and submits a decision package during the annual budget cycle. Students must be at least 18 years of age and must successfully complete a background investigation, drug screening, physical exam, and must be authorized to work legally within the United States. Students must provide a letter of recommendation from a professor as part of their application materials Intern candidates must submit a student verification or verification of enrollment from the registrar s office to establish a pay rate based on academic level and as proof of enrollment. Verifications are required each semester. Interns must have at least one year remaining in school at the beginning of their internship. Interns must have the oversight of an academic coordinator at their school, who will have periodic contact with the intern and OCSD regarding the intern s progress. Interns must meet periodically with their academic coordinator at school, at a minimum of once every two months. Interns are not authorized to work overtime. Student Internship Program The Student Internship program is designed to help students in a bachelor s or graduate degree program obtain valuable work experience related to their field of study. Candidates selected for this program can keep their internship for up to 12 months, and Department Heads may request to extend an additional 12 2
months subject to budget approval, as long as OCSD s workload dictates a need. No internship shall exceed a total duration of 24 months. A student may apply subsequently for an internship in a different division of the organization. In addition to the general requirements, the following are requirements for the Student Internship program: Students must be enrolled in a four year bachelor s degree program or a graduate program that is in a field of study related to the internship for which they are being considered. Students enrolled in a bachelor s degree program must be at junior level status or above, which is the timeframe when students undertake upper-division core courses. Students can remain employed as an Intern throughout the year (including during school breaks) if they are enrolled as a full-time student in fall and spring semester, or during the four quarters of the year, and as long as OCSD s workload dictates a need. The internship ends when the Intern has worked the total number of hours requested by the division in the budget request or after 12 months, whichever comes first. If extended for an additional 12 months, this same requirement also applies to the extension period. A minimum of fifteen hours of work per week (part-time) during school sessions will be required, not to exceed the total hours for the year established through the budget request. Student interns are allowed to work 30 to 40 hours per week during summer break provided the work is done based on an eight hour day, five days a week (flex schedules are not allowed for interns), as long as they are within the total maximum number of budgeted hours for the internship. Student intern experience does not qualify as professional, exempt-level work experience. Students must maintain satisfactory academic performance requirements, meeting at a minimum the academic criteria provided in their respective student catalog and academic policies and procedures. Vocational Internship Program The Vocational Internship program is designed to help community college students obtain valuable work experience in the trades. Vocational interns gain valuable experience by rotating through five different career modules, while attending water utility science courses at Santiago Canyon College. The 52- week vocational internship rotation consists of five different career experience modules that vary in duration. The modules include Wastewater Treatment, Mechanical Maintenance, Collections & Rebuild, Instrumentation Maintenance, and Electrical Maintenance. In addition to the general requirements, the following are requirements for the Vocational Internship program: 3
Students participating in the vocational internship program must be enrolled in Santiago Canyon College s Water Utility Science Program. Students must also be enrolled in the Water Utility Science Intern Program elective course at Santiago Canyon College. Appropriate courses should be discussed with the student s career/ guidance counselor. Students selected for this program can participate through the duration of the remainder of the 12 month internship as long as they are enrolled in four (4) units or more in the Water Utility Science Program at Santiago Canyon College, and as long as OCSD s workload dictates a need. Students must have completed at least six (6) units within the Water Utility Science Program to qualify for the vocational internship. This ensures that students being considered are interested and committed to working in the wastewater industry. Students must work at a satisfactory performance and attendance level, and must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in college coursework to remain in the program. The duration of the vocational internship should not exceed 52 weeks (fiscal year). There will be no extensions, and no priority for hire. Vocational interns may only work the Monday through Thursday day shift from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Vocational interns are expected to work 32 hours per week during the 52 week period. They will not exceed 32 hours per week, and flexing of the work schedule is not authorized. Each vocational intern will have a personalized internship schedule that begins with a two-week program orientation and general safety training provided by the Orange County Sanitation District. This mandatory twoweek orientation session will include all regulatory and safety training, in addition to a review of applicable policies, workplace practices, and rules. Topics include general safety and security, chemical safety overview, process schematic review, and site-specific orientation and tours. Intern work assignments will not be made until all safety training and orientation has been completed. Vocational interns will not attend any training outside of the required safety training, unless it relates to health and safety in the workplace. Students should possess familiarity with computer based training. Students will be evaluated at the completion of each career module to determine continued participation in the program. Requesting, Recruiting, Selecting, Hiring, and Maintaining Requesting Requesting divisions prepare and submit a decision package to the Financial Management Division for consideration during the annual budget cycle. Justification of the need, a description of the specific work that the Intern will perform, and the total number of hours requested must be provided. Generally 4
internships are structured to align with the academic calendar year and the hours needed for the 12 month period. Recruiting Recruiting for internship positions differs in several respects from OCSD s traditional recruitment process. After a personnel requisition has been approved, the internship will be assigned a job number and posted to OCSD s jobs website. The Human Resources (HR) Department will send an announcement email to all OCSD announcing the opening. OCSD will work with local colleges career centers to reach out to potentially interested students at appropriate schools. Outreach also may include contacting college professors to request that they refer qualified students to the college s career center. Intern opportunities also may be posted to one or more intern-specific job posting websites if it is determined that there is a need to expand the reach of advertising. The application process will require students to submit a letter of recommendation from a professor. For the Vocational Internship program, applications should be submitted to the Program Chair of Water Utility Science at Santiago Canyon College, The final date to submit an application shall be set by Santiago Canyon College. Selecting The OCSD HR Department will enlist the assistance of career centers at the local colleges and universities to identify qualified applicants for available OCSD internships. Interested students would submit a letter of intent to request an internship, and the school will screen the requests and forward the most qualified applicants. HR will pre-screen applicants to ensure that each candidate meets the minimum requirements for the position. An HR representative and the hiring manager then will select the best candidates, based on academic level and area of study, from the group of qualified individuals. In order for the interviewing process to begin, only one qualified individual needs to be selected. Interviewing processes for Interns differ from regular applicants in that interviews will be done in a two person panel interview instead of a three person panel. This panel will consist of the hiring manager (or designee) and an HR representative. The candidate that appears to be the best overall fit will be the person selected. Hiring Upon receiving an official Verification of Enrollment from the university, indicating academic level and status, the candidate will be made an offer. The current intern pay scale will be used to determine the pay rate based on academic level. This pay scale is detailed later in this document. After the verbal offer has been made and accepted, the student will be scheduled for the pre-employment screening process. All interns will complete OCSD s pre-employment screening process, similar to that for a part-time employee. 5
Maintaining Intern Status In order for Interns to maintain internship status, they must remain full-time students while employed at OCSD. They must also remain in good standing within their educational program. All Interns must submit a student verification or verification of enrollment from the registrar s office as proof of enrollment, to be provided to Human Resources via the division manager (or designee). Verification will be required each semester. Campus Outreach An HR representative will establish and maintain relationships with the appropriate people within the career centers of local colleges and universities to ensure promotion and coordination of the Student Internship Program. Outreach also may include contacting college professors to request that they refer qualified students to the college s career center. As appropriate, OCSD also may take advantage of campus events, job fairs, bulletin boards, etc., to contribute to greater student and community awareness, and help educate students on potential career paths during their course of study. Work Assignments & Evaluation The nature of the work assignments given the student is one of the most important internship components, and it should include diverse responsibilities. The internship experience should provide the opportunity for the Intern to learn new skills and perform work in a professional setting, integrating the student as an operating member of OCSD. The work assigned should benefit the student and be a good investment of OCSD time and resources. Providing meaningful work experiences is the focus of the program. Evaluation of the Intern s progress is ongoing and documented by the division manager (or designee). A performance evaluation is prepared and conducted by the divisional management, with a copy given to the Intern and the academic coordinator. It should include statements from OCSD management and the academic coordinator during and at the conclusion of the internship. Compensation Student and vocational internships with OCSD are on a paid basis and are offered as at-will employment. Treatment as a temporary employee creates a more valuable internship for both the intern and OCSD. This provides a more realistic professional work experience for interns and puts the organization in a 6
better position to demand professional productivity from an intern. The rate of pay is based on the type of internship program and the intern s academic level in school, as listed below. Vocational intern program = $10 per hour Undergraduate program = $12 per hour Graduate program = $15 per hour Program Administration & Responsibilities Human Resources Department The HR Department will administer and manage the Student Intern Program. This includes assisting with personnel requisitions, postings, advertising, and applicant screening, as well as working with division management on scheduling student interviews. HR will maintain contacts at local schools career centers. An informal performance feedback system will be developed by HR and administered by the division manager (or designee) to ensure they are providing students the guidance, support and development they seek from this type of program. Interns will also participate in the New Employee Orientation program. OCSD, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to modify, revise or eliminate this program at any time. Finance Department The Finance Department is responsible for tracking and reporting on the hours worked by interns based on timecard records. By running bi-weekly reports on the total hours an intern has worked to date, Finance identifies and notifies HR and the intern s division manager (or designee) of Interns who are reaching their maximum total hours for the internship. Divisional Management OCSD s divisional management is responsible for supervising the intern s work. Interns should be supervised closely by the division manager (or designee) with regular, frequent contact occurring between the division manager (or designee) and the intern. Note that either the division manager (or designee) at OCSD and the school s academic coordinator are responsible for supervising the intern to encourage student participation and shared accountability. The division manager (or designee) will conduct the informal performance feedback for the intern. Academic Coordinator The academic coordinator is a representative of the educational institution who oversees the intern s job assignment. For students without an academic coordinator officially assigned through the school s internship program, OCSD and the student will work together to identify an appropriate school employee to 7
serve in this role. Note that either the division manager (or designee) at OCSD and the school s academic coordinator are responsible for supervising the intern to encourage student participation and shared accountability. The academic coordinator s responsibilities include serving as the academic institution s contact with OCSD s HR Department regarding the Intern s performance and conducting ongoing discussions with the student over the course of the internship, at a minimum at the beginning and end of the program and at least every two months for its duration. If the internship is for course credit, the academic coordinator would be the person designated as such by the college or university. In cases where the internship is not for course credit, the academic coordinator may be the educational institution s career center staff or a member of the faculty in the student s school of study. Intern The intern will work with the educational institution to identify an academic coordinator for their internship. The intern will meet with the academic coordinator at the beginning and the end of the program, as well as every two months at a minimum to discuss progress and learning. The intern will complete evaluation paperwork provided by HR. Employment Opportunities Internships with OCSD do not imply and are not a guarantee of future employment. OCSD conducts fair, competitive recruitments to ensure the best job-person match for the organization. The terms and conditions outlined herein neither establish nor imply a contract of employment. 8