Virtual internships during and after the pandemic
During a time when in-person internships just aren't possible, our virtual internships provide valuable, real-world experiences from the safety of home.
The Professional Prep Academy, developed by Socratic Arts, is a program for high schools that offers a wide range of virtual internships to help students discover a career passion and learn life skills.
Work-based learning is the cornerstone of a quality Career Technical Education (CTE) program; it is too valuable to be lost in the wake of COVID-19.
Virtual internships are realistic, mentored, learn-by-doing experiences that can be delivered 100% online or as hybrid experiences. And they are turnkey, meaning they require minimal school effort during the pandemic and completely eliminate:
- Recruiting and training employers to provide internships.
- Finding student transportation to and from worksites.
- Potentially putting students at risk in face-to-face work situations.
- Students missing out due to socioeconomic hardships or where they live.
Skills training for highly-paid, in-demand careers
PPA offers virtual internships in five high-paying, high-demand career areas. Completing multiple experiences in an area equates to a virtual apprenticeship that will help students to prepare to successfully take on in-demand jobs.
Health Sciences
- Internal Medicine
- Forensic Detective
- Mystery Diagnosis
Entrepreneurship
- Idea Workshop
- Product/Service Definition
- Business Essentials
- Think Like an Investor
- Write a Business Plan
Software Development
- Intro to Website Development
- Intro to JavaScript
- Mobile Web App Development
- Java 1
- Java 2
Cybersecurity
- Insider Threat
- Exploit a Website
- Analyze Malicious Network Traffic
- Analyze a Remote Intrusion Attempt
Data Analytics
- Intro to Data Analytics: Machine Learning & Sentiment Analysis
- Machine Learning with Python
PPA Courses w/ descriptions (PDF).
Our Story-Centered approach makes the difference
PPA virtual internships use our Story-Centered approach to learning that immerses students in real-life situations where they complete real work, on real deliverables, that have real impact. Students get to work alongside real professionals and get a taste of what their job actually entails.
Our Story-Centered approach has been used successfully for more than 20 years, with more than 100,000 students at world-class universities, the US government, and Fortune 100 companies around the world.
What makes our internships different:
- Developed with extensive input from industry and academic subject-matter experts.
- A rich and engaging story that mirrors real-world, work situations.
- Students play a central role working individually, or on a team, to achieve meaningful goals over a series of tasks.
- Learners are expected to produce the same work products that professionals produce.
- A wide range of in-depth learning resources.
- Expert mentors are always available to provide help, advice, and feedback.
- Mentors coach students until they master the knowledge and skills required by the current task before allowing them to proceed to the next.
- Students are trained in critical soft skills, including: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, scientific reasoning, self-directed learning, researching and synthesizing multiple sources of information, and common workplace behaviors and values.
- By taking multiple courses in a related area, students can amass an impressive portfolio of work they can use to showcase their skills during job or college interviews.
PPA program requirements
- Because PPA Virtual Internships involve solving complex problems, 4x4 block schedules with class sessions of 80-90 minutes are required for meaningful learning. Shorter class periods do not provide a productive experience.
- Students must devote a total of 15 hours available per week, in and out of school.
- A minimum of 2.5 Mbps of Internet bandwidth are required at school and home to support online video learning resources and meetings.
Partner with us to help today's high-school students find their career passions.
For more information:
ppa@socraticarts.com