Internships and Off-campus Learning

Gain Experience outside the Classroom

The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center does not confine learning to the four walls of the classroom. Work-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing, advanced placement internships, and cooperative education are available to our students.

student driving bulldozer around job site

What Students Can Expect

Students are required to provide their own transportation to and from the worksite. Driver’s licenses and reliable transportation are crucial for participation in any of the work-based learning opportunities.

The Advanced Placement Internship (API) and Cooperative Education (Co-op) programs are closely related. Both work-based learning experiences are designed to integrate classroom learning with supervised work experience. This combination of school and work is a powerful approach to learning that prepares students for immediate employment or further education. Students develop important interpersonal and teamwork skills while acquiring a strong work ethic necessary for success in the workplace. Students are compensated by their employer for the work completed while on API or Co-op while also earning classroom credit. 

There are some subtle differences between the two programs:

Starting at the end of the first marking period and lasting until April, API provides students who excel from the onset of their program with an earlier entry into the workforce of their career field of choice. Throughout the school year, the number of days will increase until the student enters the Co-op portion of the program. Because they will be spending days on-site and away from school earlier in the year, the requirements for API are higher than those for Cooperative Education.

Cooperative Education is essentially the same as API, but since students are farther along in the school year, eligibility requirements for the program are not as strict. Our goal at the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center is to prepare students for careers immediately following graduation, and the experience of working with a local company in their field of study is invaluable in reaching that goal. Once successfully enrolled in Co-op, students will be on the job during the school day, and will only return to the classroom on certain mandatory days.

See the Workplace Opportunities Guide for more information on eligibility requirements and the application process.

Employers

Employers can use the self-registration portal below to partner with the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center to provide work-based learning opportunities.

Work-Based Learning Employer Registration 

These opportunities include:

  • Cooperative education employment
  • Job shadowing
  • Guest speaking
  • Practice job interviewing
  • Field trips to facilities
  • Serving on Occupational Advisory Committees

Additional Resources

Faculty and Students: JobReadyWBL

For any additional questions or more information regarding Co-op or API, please contact Work-Based Learning and Outreach Coordinator:

Dr. Susan Weinand
swienand@lancasterctc.edu
717-859-5100 X 5138 – Office
717-847-4189 – Mobile

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