SAN FERNANDO : Students Land Jobs With Business Class

The first 15 students to finish San Fernando High School’s business academy internship program have reaped more than credits--most got summer jobs.

“Many of the students have gotten jobs for the summer because of the skills they have learned and the contacts they have made by being in the business academy,” said Arlene Rosenblatt, chairwoman of the business education department at the school.

In fact, more than half of the students got summer jobs because of the internships, such as working as accounting clerks or in sales, Rosenblatt said.

Under the program, sponsored by the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce, participating employers gave each student four hours of work a week for six weeks starting in April. The business academy first offered internships to its 66 students this year.

The 2-year-old program also teaches students about job hunting, resume writing and how to handle a job interview. Company representatives who visited the school for prospective employees “were impressed by the quality of the students and the caliber of the interview,” Rosenblatt said.

The business academy is the latest of several programs at the high school geared toward making classes more relevant and to better prepare students for the working world, Rosenblatt said.