PWCS Explore partners with local businesses to provide students ages 18–22 with meaningful internship experiences that help them identify career interests, develop workplace skills, and prepare for future employment. Interns spend the majority of their day engaged in hands‑on, work‑based learning activities designed to foster career exploration and skill development. In addition to gaining practical, marketable job skills, students learn to meet the demands of competitive work environments while building essential 21st‑century soft skills such as responsibility, confidence, teamwork, positive work habits, and self‑management.
Participants complete three unpaid internships, each lasting 10–12 weeks. While enrolled in the program, students remain registered at their home high school but attend their internship at the designated Explore business site rather than on the high school campus. Program participation is contingent upon acceptance through an application process.
Schools
Battlefield High School
Brentsville District High School
Gainesville High School
Potomac High School
Unity Reed High School
Requirements
Any student with a disability, aged 18 - 21, who has completed the requirements for an Applied Studies Diploma and whose IEP team has determined the need for an unpaid, community-based, High-Quality Work-Based Learning internship experience in a supported environment.
Prerequisites
None
Notes
Check with your counselor to see if this course is offered at your school.