Micro-Internship FAQ

  • Who finds and secures the commitments from local organizations?

    Cambiar Quest takes care of finding and securing commitments from organizations in your region.

  • What kinds of educators make for good micro-internship partners?

    Educators passionate about integrating work-connected learning and fostering career exploration are ideal partners.

  • What students are a good fit for the micro-internship?

    The micro-internship is suitable for all high school aged students. We recommend using the micro-internship as an early high school experience to set the foundation for career and college readiness and exploration.

  • When and where does the micro-internship happen?

    The micro-internship curriculum can be implemented in a variety of in-school and out-of-school settings including high school classrooms, afterschool programs, summer offerings, and community based organizations.

  • How long is each micro-internship?

    Each micro-internship is typically 35 hours long. These 35 hours can be configured to meet a variety of scheduling needs.

  • When does it take place? During the school year? Summer?

    Micro-internships can be implemented at any time during the school year or summer.

  • How much does it cost to participate?

    Cambiar Quest is currently seeking pilot partners to implement the micro-internship. Pilot partners who commit to a co-learning implementation cycle will receive the micro-internship curriculum, support, and professional development free of charge.

  • How can students sign up for a micro-internship?

    Currently, the micro-internship is available only through participating school sites and organizations. Students interested in participating should reach out to their school counselor for more information on how to sign up or bring the program to their school.

  • What does an educator need to do to make micro-internships available to their students?

    Educators and administrators interested in bringing the micro-internship program to their school site should reach out to the Cambiar Quest team.

  • Is this a course that could be part of the school curriculum?

    The 35 hours of curriculum can fit within a variety of high school courses. Reach out to the Cambiar Quest team to learn more about how the program can fit into your school’s existing course sequencing.

  • What do organizations need to do to participate?

    Organizational partners need to provide a real-world business challenge for students to tackle and be willing to give feedback to students at specific points in time throughout the project. Local businesses and organizations interested in participating must be willing to commit a total of 5-6 hours towards the micro-internship implementation.

  • How are students assigned? Can organizations select their students?

    The micro-internship experience is designed for entire classrooms or student groups to participate at once. Students are grouped into teams to work on the organizational partner’s business challenge. Organizational partners are not able to select participating students.

  • Do students actually propose solutions that organizations can use?

    Yes, students often propose impactful solutions! They conduct interviews with target users, analyze the data to find key insights, and bring a fresh perspective to the challenge. This allows them to recommend actionable solutions grounded in the real needs of users and customers that organizations can directly implement.

  • Do students ever get hired by organizations after the micro-internship?

    While the Cambiar Micro-Internship program doesn't directly place students in jobs, it can definitely be a stepping stone to employment! We strongly encourage both students and our organizational partners to explore potential hiring opportunities at the program's conclusion. The micro-internship can serve as a valuable springboard for students to launch their careers and a great early talent pipeline for our organizational partners.

  • Is the micro-internship available to students outside the U.S.?

    Currently the micro-internship is only available to participating schools and organizations in the United States. If you are interested in bringing the micro-internship to your community outside of the US, please reach out to the Cambiar Quest team.