5 Work-Experience Programs for High School Students
5 Work-Experience Programs for High School Students
Written by
Written by
George Gatsios, Founder of Delta Institute
George Gatsios, Founder of Delta Institute
Published on
Published on
As a high school student, a work-experience program can help you gain industry exposure early on. You get the chance to work on a real-world project, gain guidance from industry professionals, and understand what a career in your chosen field looks like. These programs also help you build important workplace habits such as teamwork, time management, and professional communication.
Below are 5 work-experience programs for high school students to help you find the right fit for you!
Delve is a fully virtual work-experience program designed for high school students who want exposure to real company projects. Over 4 to 5 weeks, you work in a team, solve an industry challenge, and follow a structured schedule with guidance from professional mentors while working with global companies such as AWS, Adobe, Ferrari, and more.
By the end of the program, you will have a completed industry-relevant project, a completion certificate, and the chance to qualify for a company recommendation letter. This gives you a clear work-based outcome and a tangible output to showcase on college applications.
Cost: $4,900
Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: March 29 (Summer I) & April 26 (Summer II)
Program Dates: Varies depending on company selected
Eligibility: Open to high school students globally
EfTA’s Student Internship Program is a two-week in-person internship program for current high school juniors in Montgomery County, Texas. You apply through a formal application process, prepare through career-readiness steps, and then complete a placement that can be more hands-on or more observation-based depending on the host site.
By completing the internship, you gain direct workplace experience, a better understanding of a professional setting, and a structured summer placement. The application also requires a fee, and the materials must be submitted in full by the listed deadline, which makes the process feel closer to a formal internship application rather than a casual summer program.
Cost: $20 application fee, with fee-reduction waivers available
Location: Montgomery County, TX
Application Deadline: April 2
Program Dates: Two weeks in the summer; exact dates vary by placement
Eligibility: You must be a current high school junior in Montgomery County, Texas, and be in good academic standing
Y.O.U.’s internship program is a selective paid program for high school students in Cuyahoga County. The summer internship application window runs from February 1 to April 1 each year, and the program offers 125-hour paid internships along with professional skills training that runs from May through August.
By the end of the internship, you will have gained work experience, networking skills, and stronger professional skills tied to a career that interests you. This is useful if you want a local internship with a clear time commitment and a structure that combines training with actual placement experience.
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Location: Cuyahoga County, OH
Application Deadline: April 1
Program Dates: Professional skills training runs from May through August
Eligibility: Open to high school students in Cuyahoga County; some tracks have additional grade or GPA requirements.
Teen Explainers is a paid summer internship at the Natural History Museum of Utah that runs from June to August. Over the course of the internship, you attend in-person group meetings twice a week, work gallery shifts, and spend additional time on independent planning and preparation. The full summer cohort involves approximately 75 total hours.
By completing the internship, you gain museum work experience, stronger communication skills, and direct experience engaging visitors through educational activities. You also receive free UTA transportation during the internship, which adds a practical benefit if you are commuting to the museum throughout the summer.
Cost: No cost; paid at $13.00 per hour
Location: Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Application Deadline: May 1
Program Dates: June 9 to August 13
Eligibility: You must be a high school student between the ages of 14 and 18 and be able to attend all required group meetings.
Palm Beach County’s district-paid summer internships are work-based placements across several departments, including operations, communications, legal work, leadership, and school-based roles, along with technical and IT placements.
By completing one of these internships, you gain direct exposure to a professional office or school setting, and practical skills connected to the department you join. Because the district offers many different placements, this option works well if you want a more traditional summer work experience with a clear start and end date.
Cost: No cost; paid $15 per hour
Location: Palm Beach County, FL
Application Deadline: April 5
Program Dates: School-based internships run June 8 to July 16; district internships run June 16 to July 31
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors or graduating seniors from the School District of Palm Beach County, as well as district graduates currently enrolled in college; specific roles may have additional requirements.
As a high school student, a work-experience program can help you gain industry exposure early on. You get the chance to work on a real-world project, gain guidance from industry professionals, and understand what a career in your chosen field looks like. These programs also help you build important workplace habits such as teamwork, time management, and professional communication.
Below are 5 work-experience programs for high school students to help you find the right fit for you!
Delve is a fully virtual work-experience program designed for high school students who want exposure to real company projects. Over 4 to 5 weeks, you work in a team, solve an industry challenge, and follow a structured schedule with guidance from professional mentors while working with global companies such as AWS, Adobe, Ferrari, and more.
By the end of the program, you will have a completed industry-relevant project, a completion certificate, and the chance to qualify for a company recommendation letter. This gives you a clear work-based outcome and a tangible output to showcase on college applications.
Cost: $4,900
Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: March 29 (Summer I) & April 26 (Summer II)
Program Dates: Varies depending on company selected
Eligibility: Open to high school students globally
EfTA’s Student Internship Program is a two-week in-person internship program for current high school juniors in Montgomery County, Texas. You apply through a formal application process, prepare through career-readiness steps, and then complete a placement that can be more hands-on or more observation-based depending on the host site.
By completing the internship, you gain direct workplace experience, a better understanding of a professional setting, and a structured summer placement. The application also requires a fee, and the materials must be submitted in full by the listed deadline, which makes the process feel closer to a formal internship application rather than a casual summer program.
Cost: $20 application fee, with fee-reduction waivers available
Location: Montgomery County, TX
Application Deadline: April 2
Program Dates: Two weeks in the summer; exact dates vary by placement
Eligibility: You must be a current high school junior in Montgomery County, Texas, and be in good academic standing
Y.O.U.’s internship program is a selective paid program for high school students in Cuyahoga County. The summer internship application window runs from February 1 to April 1 each year, and the program offers 125-hour paid internships along with professional skills training that runs from May through August.
By the end of the internship, you will have gained work experience, networking skills, and stronger professional skills tied to a career that interests you. This is useful if you want a local internship with a clear time commitment and a structure that combines training with actual placement experience.
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Location: Cuyahoga County, OH
Application Deadline: April 1
Program Dates: Professional skills training runs from May through August
Eligibility: Open to high school students in Cuyahoga County; some tracks have additional grade or GPA requirements.
Teen Explainers is a paid summer internship at the Natural History Museum of Utah that runs from June to August. Over the course of the internship, you attend in-person group meetings twice a week, work gallery shifts, and spend additional time on independent planning and preparation. The full summer cohort involves approximately 75 total hours.
By completing the internship, you gain museum work experience, stronger communication skills, and direct experience engaging visitors through educational activities. You also receive free UTA transportation during the internship, which adds a practical benefit if you are commuting to the museum throughout the summer.
Cost: No cost; paid at $13.00 per hour
Location: Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Application Deadline: May 1
Program Dates: June 9 to August 13
Eligibility: You must be a high school student between the ages of 14 and 18 and be able to attend all required group meetings.
Palm Beach County’s district-paid summer internships are work-based placements across several departments, including operations, communications, legal work, leadership, and school-based roles, along with technical and IT placements.
By completing one of these internships, you gain direct exposure to a professional office or school setting, and practical skills connected to the department you join. Because the district offers many different placements, this option works well if you want a more traditional summer work experience with a clear start and end date.
Cost: No cost; paid $15 per hour
Location: Palm Beach County, FL
Application Deadline: April 5
Program Dates: School-based internships run June 8 to July 16; district internships run June 16 to July 31
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors or graduating seniors from the School District of Palm Beach County, as well as district graduates currently enrolled in college; specific roles may have additional requirements.
About the Author
George Gatsios holds a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Cambridge and is the founder of Delta Institute. He leads the organisation’s global strategy, overseeing programme design, partnerships, operations, and product innovation across education, career development, and technology. His work centers on building scalable, hands-on learning experiences that connect students with real-world industry exposure and future-ready skills. Alongside his leadership at Delta Institute, George serves as a Research Assistant in Economics at the University of Cambridge and London Business School, contributing to research at the intersection of economic theory, empirical analysis, and policy. He is an active member of the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (IBEN) and a strong advocate for lifelong learning and internationally minded education.
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