Employment Skills Internship Program

Summary:

In keeping with the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy’s mission of helping individuals reach beyond their boundaries through equine assisted therapies and education, the goal of this program is to prepare youth/young adult participants to transition into the workforce by developing and refining employability skills through a combination of therapeutic horsemanship lessons and hands-on, practical workplace experience.

Program Objectives:

• Acquire basic horsemanship skills and demonstrate ability to apply them appropriately in a practical setting.
• Develop a sense of accountability, responsibility, motivation, and personal satisfaction in the workplace.
• Learn the importance of teamwork and develop workplace social and communication skills.
• Gain experience accepting constructive feedback in the workplace.
• Build strong time-management skills and demonstrate ability to complete assigned tasks efficiently within a set timeframe.  
• Learn to evaluate the quality of their own work, and make adjustments as needed.
• Obtain valuable work experience and learn how to document it on a resume.

Program Format:

• Participants will attend for ten consecutive weeks, meeting once per week for 3 hours (program to be completed within one typical high school semester).
• A portion of each workday will consist of horsemanship instruction, practice, and a follow-up discussion or activity.
• Horsemanship instruction and activities will correlate with employability skills. Follow-up activities and discussion will be used to measure the participant’s understanding of the content and provide an opportunity to apply learned concepts to the workplace environment.
• The remainder of each workday will consist of project-based work. Participants will design a project in the area of their choosing to be completed by the end of the internship.
• All projects will provide a general improvement to NCEFT.  Participants will work one-on-one with NCEFT’s Senior Staff across the organization to support the planning, coordination, and successful execution of the project. This will also provide an opportunity for each participant to gain a broader understanding of each department’s roles and responsibilities within the organization.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be of legal working age
• Must be enrolled in High School, grade 11 or 12
• Must submit the online Internship Application (see below)
• Parental/guardian consent is required
• Candidates must complete interview process