Career Experiences for SEHS Students

Tours: Visit a training program or a business to learn what it is like to work in that industry. Hear about the range of career opportunities in that field and educational requirements for employment.

• Connected Lane County Virtual and In-Person Industry Tours:  Tours of 2-3 companies in a specific field scheduled throughout the school year. Sponsored by Connected Lane County.

• Health
• EWEB
• Technology
• Natural Resources

• Lane Workforce Sand & Gravel Industry Tours: Hands-on tours for those looking for full-time work in the construction aggregate industry. Last took place in April in 2024. Sponsored by WorkSource Oregon

• LCC’s Advanced Technology Tours (541-463-5380):

• Diesel Technology
• Fabrication/Welding Technology
• Automotive Technology

Job Shadows: Spend a few hours with a person in a career you find interesting.  With only a brief time commitment you will gather information and get an experiential idea of life in a career of interest.  Job shadows can lead to internships.

• Elevate Job Shadows: 3-hour, one-time pairing of student with selected industry mentor.  9th-11th grade students apply through Connected Lane County’s Elevate program and are matched with a person in the student’s area of interest.  Shadows take place from January through March.
• Haggerty Scholars Program: High-school juniors with an interest in law and civil rights meet regularly with an attorney mentor, attend meetings and panel discussions related to law and civil rights, and attend legal events. Students who are members of underserved/underrepresented populations are especially encouraged to apply. (Applications due in April of junior year)
• Student-Initiated Job Shadow:  Any student can set up a shadow by contacting a business or individual and making arrangements.  SEHS has a list of potential mentors who have worked with students in the past.

Internships and Apprenticeships:  Spend extended periods of time embedded in a specific job to learn how it works and experience what it would be like to have this career.  Meet people to help advance your goals.  May lead to being hired.

• Elevate Internships: 11th and 12th grade students, as well as those who have completed a job shadow, apply through Connected Lane County’s Elevate program to be matched with a professional in the student’s area of interest.  The student is embedded in the industry to complete a relevant project with their mentor during the summer.  Students generally spend 40 hours a week for 7 weeks on the job site and are paid $15/hour.  Applications are generally due around spring break and require one letter of recommendation.
• Elevate Micro Internships Micro internships are shorter versions of internships which fulfill the work-based learning requirement for students completing a CTE (Career and Technical Education) program in their school. Micro internships allow students to apply what they've learned in their CTE classes to real, hands-on workplace projects with the guidance of an industry professional.
• Eugene Police Cadet Program: Students ages 16-20 attend weekend classes and evening trainings to learn, develop, and practice skills required in police work.  Participants may be involved in simulations and, once the academy is complete, can do ride-alongs with police officers.  Programs begin every 6 months, and cadets must apply and interview to be accepted.
• Design Arts Apprenticeships: Professional designers partner with students for 10 weeks to explore graphic, digital and physical design and production. In addition to learning a creative practice, students also explore the business aspects of a creative career. (Takes place during 1st and 3rd trimesters)
• Chambers Construction: Summer opportunities to obtain training and experience in the construction field.  If this leads to being hired by Chambers, you may be eligible to receive pay for the hours invested in training.  Must be at least 16 and interested in construction as a career.
• World of Work: ArtWorks Internship: 3-month, hands-on, paid internship program for high-school students at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA), funded by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. World of Work interns will be exposed to a variety of museum departments and work under the mentorship of museum professionals and practicing artists. (Applications due in March)
• Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering (ASE) program: Connects motivated high-school students with mentors in pre-professional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) internships. Internships are eight-week, full-time summer positions designed by the mentors, themselves. They take place throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. The application process is competitive. ASE interns have been listed on published research, helped to design and test commercial products, and spent countless hours in the field and in the lab.  (Applications due in March)
• The Schweiger Memorial Scholarship Fund: Offers a paid summer internship program with opportunities from leading construction and engineering companies in the Pacific Northwest. This program provides practical construction experience for students interested in civil engineering, construction management, construction engineering management and other related fields, and priority for scholarship consideration is given to the internship participants. Interested students should email HR@advanced-american.com. (Scholarship advertised yearly in March)
• Partnership for Scientific Inquiry (PSI) Program: Free program for Oregon sophomores, juniors, and seniors that introduces students to the scientific process and provides access to research scientists from OHSU and other Portland research institutes in a virtual 16-week course. Participants may have an opportunity to be paired with a mentor for a summer research experience.
• The Oregon Coast Aquarium Summer Youth Volunteer Program: Seeks high-school students to volunteer during the summer. Volunteers rotate to different exhibits and talk to aquarium guests about the animals and conservation issues.  Students have the opportunity to learn about marine careers from aquarium staff and participate in various community science and leadership projects. (Applications usually due in March)
• Friends of Buford Park & Mount Pisgah Internship: Seeks high-school and college students to intern for one school term and can accommodate student schedules. Interns gain work experience in one of five program areas: Habitat Restoration, Trails, Nursery Production, Communications/Outreach and Education, and Nonprofit Administration.

Summer Camps and Programs: Take a class, spend a week or longer, often over summer vacation, diving into skills, activities and problem solving common to a specific career.  Get a more realistic picture of what it takes and if that career is for you. Skills gained can increase hireability.

• JumpstART: Week-long residential or day camp at OSU offering a week of accelerated art instruction including classes in drawing, painting, graphic design, and photography, with one daily visiting artist lecture. (Applications due in late spring.)
• Forestry Immersion: Free, week-long program for rising students in grades 10-12 that immerses students in hands-on activities and field trips in forestry.
• Northwest Youth Corps: 4- and 5-week programs for 16-18-year-olds who are interested in doing physical work on conservation projects, combining job skills training with outdoor adventure. Small tuition cost, plus student is paid a stipend.
• Young Women’s Fire Camp: Free 1-week camp put on by Eugene Springfield Fire for young women, ages 15-19, interested in a career in firefighting.  Participants develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and hands-on firefighting training.  (Applications usually due in spring.)
• FBI Portland Teen Academy: 5-day overnight program emphasizing the FBI’s mission, intelligence and criminal investigations, hands-on activities, and development of related skills.  Eligible incoming juniors and seniors

selected to attend academy in Portland or Salem during the summer. (Applications due in spring)

• Foundation of Water & Energy Education (FWEE) Hydropower and STEM Career Academy: Weeklong summer day camp in Wenatchee, Washington designed to give incoming 9th-12th grade students experience in the hydro and solar industries with hands-on projects including flying drones, building solar cars, and creating hydroelectric models. Learn from the best in the industry, discover industry careers and earn college credits.
• Summer Business Institute (SBI): 10-day residential summer program located at Portland State University for historically underserved/underrepresented rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the world of business and campus life and earn 1 business elective college credit at PSU. (Applications open in spring)
• Summer Transportation Camp: This free week-long residential summer camp for Oregon students entering 9th–12th grades is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University. It offers an immersive introduction to transportation careers and the workings of transportation systems in Portland. (Applications accepted in May and June on a rolling basis)
• LCC Automotive Camp: Free day camp for high schoolers running from 8 am-12 pm daily for 4 days on LCC’s main campus. Learn about routine maintenance that includes tire changing, brakes, and coolant. Understand basic tools in automotive technology and walk away with your own tool box set.
• LCC Diesel Camp: Free day camp for high schoolers running from 9 am-3 pm daily for 4 days on LCC’s main campus. Learn about diesel fuel, fuel injection systems, diesel engines and hydraulic systems. You will also operate freight trucks and construction equipment and take a daily field trip to our industry partners.
• LCC Welding Camp: Free day camp for high schoolers running from 8 am-12 pm daily for 4 days on LCC’s main campus. Learn how to tig and wire weld. You will learn the basics of welding and create a small fabrication project.
• MedQuest: Virtual weeklong summer day camp for current freshmen through seniors who are interested in becoming healthcare providers. Learn about a career as a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist, physician assistant, radiology tech, dental hygienist and other medical workers. Campers will receive a stethoscope, suture kit, and supplies for camp. (Applications open in spring)
• AI Camp: Three week, 100% online experience into the world of AI. Scholarships available and no coding experience required.

Classes and Workshops: Learn about career options and preparation requirements for different fields.  Participate in activities and gain professional skills.

• RTEC 101: Free Lane Community College class (online and virtual options) that covers strategies for navigating community college and the 36 career and technical programs Lane offers. Classes last between 2 and 5 weeks, take place throughout the school year, and are worth college credit.
• [Lane Community College Diesel Days: Two-day event offering hands-on exposure to LCC’s Diesel Technology Program and a chance to experience the power of highway trucks and heavy equipment. Free and open to the public. Takes place yearly in spring.]
• Lane Community College Fabrication & Welding Expo: One-day event offering hands-on exposure to LCC’s Fabrication and Welding Technology Program and a chance to weld, form, and cut metal into take-home projects. Free and open to the public. (Takes place yearly in spring)
• Western Oregon University’s Criminal Justice Career Day: High-school and college students are invited to attend this one-day event to explore the fields of law enforcement, corrections, parole and probation, community crime prevention, and other criminal-justice professions. (Usually early March)
• W.I.S.E. Symposium: Series of workshops taught by STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals. The symposium takes place at Churchill HS auditorium. Free and open to all Lane County students.  (Takes place yearly in spring)
• Partnership for Scientific Inquiry (PSI) Program: Free program for Oregon sophomores, juniors, and seniors that introduces students to the scientific process and provides access to research scientists from OHSU and other Portland research institutes in a virtual 16-week course. Participants may have an opportunity to be paired with a mentor for a summer research experience.
• Tuition-free LCC course: Juniors and seniors (and GED candidates) are invited to take one tuition-free course (not fee free) during either spring or summer term. Seniors planning to attend 4-year college should be sure to confirm with their intended college that their status won’t change from freshman to transfer student (and make them ineligible for certain types of aid) by taking this course.

Hiring Opportunities: Attend an event where you can apply, interview and get hired by a range of potential employers. Often technical careers include on-the-job training provided by the employer instead of a college degree.  Students who have completed internships often have a hiring advantage.

• Connected Lane County Hiring Fair: Seniors can visit representatives from multiple industries, attend a resume workshop, submit a resume, interview, and possibly get offered a job.  Registration required. (Spring.)
• Elevate Student Job Board: The jobs listed on the board have been identified by Elevate (a.k.a. Connected Lane County) as opportunities that may be good for youth. Do not hesitate to reach out to them for assistance. They can review your resume and application and provide additional support. <info@connectedlane.org>

Other Opportunities:

• Summer Programs in Oregon: Many colleges and organizations in Oregon offer summer camps and programs related to career exploration. Some of them are included in this listing.