BHS Field Experience

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Batavia High School

Know your path
before you
pay for it.

Real workplace experience. Professional connections you build yourself. Certainty about your future—while there's still time to change your mind.

Explore Pathways
Internships
School-Based
Student-Led

Program Overview

Hear the Full Story

18-minute audio overview of Field Experience — the vision, the structure, and how it transforms high school internships into real work.

Transforming High School Internships Into Real Work 18:00

60+

Hours Minimum

7

Career Clusters

10

Essential Skills

1

Semester

Three Ways to Get Experience

Choose Your Path

From skilled trades to media production to launching your own venture — there's a pathway for every ambition.

Trades Included

Internships

60+ hours of hands-on experience across all industries — healthcare, IT, finance, and more. Skilled trades like electrical, HVAC, welding, and construction are front and center.

Electrician HVAC Welding Construction Healthcare IT Finance + More

School-Based Enterprises

Run real operations inside the school. Bulldog Media Team produces video content, covers school events, and builds professional media skills — all as a functioning student enterprise.

Bulldog Media Team videos coming soon

Student-Led Businesses

Students from the incubator program launch and run their own businesses. Real customers, real revenue, real entrepreneurship — while still in high school.

Student business videos coming soon

Our Promise

Every student deserves equitable access to opportunity.

The old system rewarded students with connections—parents who owned businesses, family friends in the right industries. If you didn't have those networks, you didn't get the experience.

Field Experience changes that equation. We build the partnerships. We provide the coaching. We create pathways that don't depend on who your parents know.

State-aligned, growth-oriented, and transparent

What Makes This Different

Built for the real world.

Student Ownership

You apply. You interview. You earn your placement. Just like the real world.

Business Partnership

This isn't charity. Partners get motivated talent, fresh ideas, and a pipeline to future hires.

Structured Coaching

Bootcamp, ongoing coaching, accountability, and a capstone. Not just "go somewhere."

Safe Exploration

High school is the perfect time to try, learn, and grow—with support.

Quick Takes

See It In Action

Quick videos for students, businesses, and parents—everything you need to know in under a minute.

For Students
0:45

Career Upgrade

Level up from LINK to Field Experience—60+ hours of real-world career experience.

Students

Bootcamp → Placement → Capstone

For Business
0:52

Talent Pipeline

Build your workforce—4 ways to partner with pre-screened, motivated students.

Business Partners

Shadow → Speak → Mentor → Host

For Parents
0:48

Future-Proof Plan

Help your student save money and find their path before college.

Parents

10 Skills → Capstone → Career Ready

Follow us for more updates

Career Pathways

7 Career Clusters

Explore pathways aligned to Illinois career development standards. Each cluster has specific technical competencies you'll develop.

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Arts & Communication

Finance & Business

Health Sciences

Human & Public Services

Information Technology

Manufacturing & Engineering

Cross-Sector Competencies

10 Essential Employability Skills

These aren't "soft skills"—they're the cross-sector competencies that every employer values, regardless of industry. You'll develop and demonstrate these throughout your Field Experience.

Start Building Skills

Teamwork & Conflict Resolution

Communication

Problem Solving

Decision Making

Critical Thinking

Adaptability & Flexibility

Initiative & Self-Drive

Reliability & Accountability

Cultural Competence

Planning & Organizing

For Business Partners

Build your future workforce.

Partner with Batavia High School to access motivated, coachable talent. Preview potential future employees. Get fresh ideas and support on the projects you've never had time to tackle.

Access to pre-screened, motivated students

Preview potential future employees before hiring

Fresh ideas and tech-fluent support for daily tasks

Strengthen your community partnership and reputation

Select the ways you'd like to partner with Batavia High School.

Michael Theriault

Field Experience Coordinator

michael@bps101.net

Job Shadows

Give students the opportunity to observe your workplace for a day or a few hours.

Guest Speaking

Share your knowledge, career insights, and professional experience with students.

Mentorship

Support students in classes through guidance, project mentorship, and industry expertise.

Field Experience Placement

GOLD STANDARD

Host and supervise hands-on placements where students gain 60+ hours of practical workplace experience.

What does each partnership look like?

Download our one-pagers for a quick overview of expectations for each partnership type.

Our Partners

Businesses Already On Board

These local businesses are investing in the next generation. Want to join them?

Partner Logo

Partner Logo

Partner Logo

Partner Logo

Partner Logo

What Our Partners Say

Partner testimonial coming soon — stories from businesses about how beneficial it was to host student interns.

Business Name

Partner since 2026

Partner testimonial coming soon — stories about the bright, motivated students who contributed real value.

Business Name

Partner since 2026

The Continuum

Your journey from awareness to experience.

1

Application

Submit your application, attend the info meeting, and get a teacher reference.

2

Bootcamp

Two weeks of interview prep, workplace readiness, and essential employability skills coaching.

3

Placement

60+ hours of hands-on experience with ongoing coaching and weekly accountability.

Capstone

Tell your story. Showcase your products, skills, and what you've learned.

Invest in the next generation.
Partner with BHS.

Whether you can host an intern, offer a job shadow, speak to a class, or mentor a student — there's a way for your business to make an impact.