HD16 - Indentification of Student Internship Programs [House Bill 507]


Executive Summary:
This study, entitled "Identification of Student Internship Programs," House Bill 507, was designed to respond to the following directives to the Board of Education and the Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Industry and the Virginia Community College System, to accomplish the following: (1) "identify student internships that may be eligible for exemptions from those federal and state laws and regulations for which exemptions are available for student apprenticeship programs" and (2) "to establish procedures by which such exemptions are available for student internship programs." (HB 507, Appendix A)

The interagency committee was formed, including members from the Department of Education, the Department of Labor and Industry, and the Virginia Community College System. Data categories were identified at the organizational meeting of the study committee, and plans were made to collect the necessary information. Arrangements were made for a meeting in Danville with education and industry officials who expressed the initial concerns that led to the passage of House Bill 507. Hickson DanChem, a prominent industrial firm located in Danville, and Danville Public Schools have formed a partnership pilot program to prepare 16- and 17-year-old high school students for entry-level positions at Hickson DanChem Corporation. Danville Public Schools and Danville Community College work cooperatively in providing for continuing education and share concerns about facilitating career preparation for heavy-industry occupations, the major career opportunity in the Danville/Halifax County area. The primary concern is that students under the age of 18, those who are preparing for industrial careers while in high school, are prohibited from certain critical training tasks, as specified in federal and state child labor legislation regarding hazardous occupations for youth under the age of 18, for example., fork-lift truck operation.

Apprenticeships and student-learner programs, such as cooperative education, are defined, structured, education-employer partnerships with specific guidelines. Internships, on the other hand, vary according to occupational area and program design, and are not legally defined. Internships may be considered as student-learner programs, however, if they contain the legally specified components. Therefore, the design of an internship program must conform to federal and state requirements to obtain the exemptions applied to apprenticeships and student-learner programs.

Regardless of training program classification (apprenticeship, student-learner, internship, etc.), occupations identified as hazardous in federal and state child labor laws are prohibited for youth under the age of 18. There are legal exemptions, however, for both apprentices and student-learners under 18 in specified occupational areas if these youth are enrolled in programs containing the required components identified in federal and state labor legislation.

In addition, state legislation is designed to be consistent with the federal regulations; therefore, a state labor law specialist noted that even if state laws were changed regarding hazardous occupations for youth under the age of 18, they would be invalid due to the existing federal child labor laws.

Recommendations resulting from this study begin with the need to emphasize student exploration of industrial careers, particularly in localities in which heavy industry is the major career opportunity. Career Connections, a service area within the Office of Vocational and Adult Education Services, offers assistance with career exploration and development, as well as with the development of internship programs. In addition, the existing high school Industrial Cooperative Training Program (lCT) can be adapted to the needs and requirements of industrial firms, with the possibility of an internship as a culminating career-preparation experience. Still another possibility is to create an industrial Tech-Prep (secondary-postsecondary) program of three to four years with a curriculum design that specifies introduction to any hazardous occupations when the student has reached the age of 18 years. A detailed internship development plan is needed and recommended and can be created by the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved in this study.