Summer Student and Internship Programs

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Central San is proud to offer both an intern and summer student program wherein students gain experience working in the field of their choice. Our intern and summer student positions offer an opportunity to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to hands-on experience.  Students will gain knowledge of Central San, the wastewater industry, and careers, while gaining valuable work experiences and providing a meaningful service to the community.

INTERNSHIPS

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Central San supports internship programs that provide growth and learning opportunities to students in college.  Student internships provide students with professional experience in the furtherance of their education and training and are academically oriented for their benefit. Work performed by a student intern should bear a relationship to his or her formal academic program or career interest. 

The Human Resources Department will oversee and coordinate the student intern program and recruitment and hiring activities will be delegated to the hiring department/division.

STUDENT INTERN RECRUITMENT/SELECTION PROCESS

An internship is a planned program to provide a student with a meaningful learning experience applicable to the student’s field of study. This requires structured assignments coupled with appropriate supervision, evaluation, and feedback.

Interns will be hired for six-month terms.  Generally, the terms will run January – June and July – December.  However, each division hiring an intern has flexibility in determining beginning and end dates depending on their needs and the availability of the intern.   In no case shall an internship last for more than six months. 

The procedure for establishing an intern position is as follows:

  1. Define the Work Program.  Prior to requesting a position for the intern, the hiring manager should define a work program for the intern designed to provide meaningful experience applicable to the student’s field of study. 
  2. Request for Approval.  Human Resources will solicit requests for interns from each Division Manager as part of the annual budget process.  Once approval has been granted, Human Resources will notify each respective Department
  1. Advertising Internship Opportunities. Each respective Department shall have the responsibility of advertising for internship prospects through job fairs, college career centers, or other outreach activities. The Human Resources Division will provide guidance to departments on how to advertise for the internship opportunity (e.g. assist with the appropriate announcement language) and will post the opportunity on the District’s recruitment webpage.  Prospective interns shall submit resumes directly to the hiring manager or his/her designee who is responsible for interviewing and selecting candidates.
  2. Complete the Hire.  Once the candidate has been identified, the hiring authority will notify Human Resources who will verify candidate qualifications and complete the hiring process.

STUDENT INTERN QUALIFICATIONS

  1. For purposes of this program, an intern is defined as a paid worker who is currently enrolled in an accredited school, college, or university and has completed 2 full years of study. (Intern must have completed enough college units to be considered a 3rd year student). A student may also be enrolled in vocational school if the internship is in the Operations/Maintenance Division (i.e. Instrument Tech, Machinist, Mechanical Tech, etc).
  2. Students who are not currently enrolled may qualify to be an intern if they have graduated from college or were previously enrolled within 1 year of the start of the internship.
  3. Intern must be enrolled in a course of study that has a nexus to the position for which they are applying.
  4. Interns may work between 20-40 hours per week.  Schedules will be worked out between the intern and the hiring department.
  5. There is no minimum number of units a student must be enrolled in as long as one of the above criteria applies.
  6. Interns are considered “at-will,” short-term, non-continuous workers with no grievance rights, benefits, or guarantees of regular employment with the District.

STUDENT INTERN COMPENSATION

Interns will be compensated at the rate of $24/per hour.

SUMMER STUDENTS

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Central San’s summer student program is available to students interested in exploring career opportunities and gaining experience in their field of interest.

The Human Resources Department will oversee and coordinate the summer student program and recruitment and hiring activities will be delegated to the hiring department/division.

SUMMER STUDENT SELECTION PROCESS

Each division hiring an intern has flexibility in determining beginning and end dates depending on their needs and the availability of the student.   In no case shall a student worker exceed a four-month term.

The procedure for establishing a summer student position is as follows:

  1. Request for Approval.  Human Resources will solicit requests for summer student workers from each Division Manager as part of the annual budget process.  Once approval has been granted, Human Resources will notify each respective Department
  1. Advertising Internship Opportunities. The Human Resources Division will post all summer student opportunities on the District’s recruitment webpage.  Prospective student workers will submit their resumes directly to the hiring manager or his/her designee who is responsible for interviewing and selecting candidates.
  2. Complete the Hire.  Once the candidate has been identified, the hiring authority will notify Human Resources who will verify student qualifications and complete the hiring process.

SUMMER STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Student must be currently enrolled in school or returning to school in the fall.
  2. Student must be at least 18 years of age.
  3. Students may work any number of hours per week not to exceed forty (40).  Schedules will be worked out between the student and the hiring department.
  4. Students are considered “at-will,” short-term, non-continuous workers with no grievance rights, benefits, or guarantees of regular employment with the District.

SUMMER STUDENT COMPENSATION

Students will be paid between $13-18 dollars an hour dependent on the position (as described below) and are eligible to receive an additional dollar for every summer they are reemployed in a summer student position (for a maximum of three summers).  Types of positions may include:

CLERICAL – These positions provide administrative and clerical support to various Departments and Divisions.  Must possess word processing skills (MS Word preferred), good organizational skills, and a professional phone manner.  $13.00/hour

ENGINEERING ASSISTANT — These positions are for civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering students interested in exploring a career in engineering. Attention to detail and strong computer skills are required. $18.00/hour

LABORERS — These positions will be assigned to the Buildings and Grounds Section, Collection System Operations Department, Electrical Shop, Machine Shop, Pumping Stations, or Material Services. Assignment are available in both the Martinez and Walnut Creek facilities. $15.00/hour

LABORATORY ASSISTANT – These positions are for chemistry, biology, or microbiology students interested in exploring a career in Laboratory Science. Duties will include field sampling and analyses of water, wastewater, and its byproducts. $18.00/hour

COMPUTER TECHNICIAN — These positions require strong working knowledge of computer hardware and software. Duties will include installing, maintaining, and supporting PC workstations and laptops, software, and peripherals. Good customer service skills and knowledge of standard office software applications are required. $18.00/hour

GRAPHIC DESIGN ASSISTANT — This position requires working knowledge of Macintosh computers including computer illustration and page layout. Duties will include basic page layout, scanning and editing of photographs, and creating diagrams for reports and presentations. $18.00/hour