Did You Know? 1
Students’ internship experience has been shown to be the #1 factor influencing employer hiring decisions. Studies show that students who completed an internship earn more on average than those who did not engage in an internship.
1 Purdue College of Business
What is the JST Internship Program?
Teams of high school students work over a 5 week period to develop their ideas into products and businesses! Interns will learn skills to make them successful in industry with lessons focused on product development, engineering, and business / marketing!
At the end of the program, these students will pitch their ideas to a panel of local STEM experts, business leaders, and government officials for a chance to win scholarships!
Benefits of the JST Internship Program?
Internship Experience for Resume Building
- Interns develop a professional resume & include this as engineering/business internship experience
- All Interns receive a letter of recommendation
Networking with Employers/Colleges
- Several networking opportunities
- Interns taught how to talk to future employers & colleges
Mentorship & Guest Lecturers
- Local STEM and business professionals volunteer to mentor and provide career focused info to Interns
2020 Program Cancelled for Your Safety due to COVID-19
$10k Scholarship Giveaway!*
Grand prize: $5000
Other Prizes: $1000 - $2500
*Students must attend at least 75% of the program dates to be eligible. All prizes will be divided evenly among team members.
Eligibility
High school students, including seniors graduating Spring '20, but NOT including the incoming freshman class for Fall '20.
Registration
*FREE to all Interns selected for the program. The forms cannot be saved and must be completed in one session.
Mentors Wanted!
Mentors of both technical and business backgrounds alike will be assigned to a group of students to encourage, assist, and help set them up for success. Mentors will meet with their groups weekly (1-2 hours) to understand the team’s progress and identify gaps to remedy solutions in order to proceed to the next milestone. Mentors will be meeting with the Junior Shark Tank staff in advance for training of JST milestones and learning objectives in order to be as effective as possible. In addition, the following is expected of each mentor type:
Technical/STEM Mentor role
- Provide technical insight during product lifecycle
- Provide weekly assessment of team’s product design, development, testing methods, etc. to ensure team is meeting product requirements
- Encourage best practices to help improve team’s attention to detail and testing effectiveness
Business Mentor role
- Provide business guidance for project management
- Provide weekly assessment of team’s budget, schedule, risks, etc. to assess how each team will meet milestones
- Encourage best practices to team’s business plans to better manage their time and resources
If you wish to join the fun or have further questions, please contact David Jones at david.jones@systemcoalition.org. Let’s make Junior Shark Tank a success!
Thank You to our Junior Shark Tank Sponsors: