Project MATCH addresses diversity
needs of the Los Angeles area that are born of the regions
ever-changing demographics. The Los Angeles Community College
District, comprised of nine area community colleges, offers
Project MATCH as a program to prepare and recruit a diverse
community college faculty who are sensitive to the needs
of the students and community it serves. The goals of the
program are to improve the diversity pool of faculty in
the District, for our interns to become role models reflecting
that diversity in the District, and to better reflect the
diversity of the community around the biggest community
college district in America.
The program is open to all qualified
applicants and assumes that applicants meet the State
Minimum Qualifications in the subject area to which they will be
assigned as interns.
The Project MATCH
Internship is a multi-component program comprised of mandatory
elements shown below. Failure to attend the Summer Institute,
two follow-up workshops, special events and other scheduled
mandatory meetings and internship assignments at the college
may result in exclusion from the program.
The mandatory elements
of the program include all of the following:
- An introductory session held on one Saturday in May prior to the Summer Institute.
- The Summer Institute, held between June and August,
is designed to give interns the fundamental theories
and skills necessary to thrive in their community college
internship. Summer Institute classes are scheduled on
weeknights between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm.
- Two follow-up workshops held on one Saturday during the months of October and December.
- The end of year culmination and award event held during an evening in December before the end of the Fall semester.
Prior to the fall semester, the
Coordinator will assign each intern to work with a mentor
who matches the intern’s particular subject area.
For example, a teaching intern will be mentored by a classroom
instructor that matches their field of study. The intern
will be assigned to work with the mentor to teach one class
(3 - 5 hours per week on 16 consecutive weeks throughout
the fall semester). If the intern is a counselor or librarian,
the intern will be assigned to a mentor in their field
and will be given the equivalent non-classroom assignment.
Weekday and evening opportunities are available Monday
through Friday only (no weekend assignments are available),
and the assignment will take place at one of the nine colleges
in the District.
This program is not affiliated with professional graduate school programs for teacher training. Campus selection and mentor matching is at the sole discretion of the District and is implemented by the Coordinator.
Selected interns must attend the
Coordinator’s orientation session in May. Interns
will receive valuable information to help guide them through
the course of their internship as well as an opportunity
to ask questions of the Coordinator.
The Summer Institute (the interns’ training
program) provides interns with a foundation in pedagogy
as well as techniques, skills, and best practices for the
classroom. This program prepares the interns for their
fall semester internship assignment.
Also in summer, mentors and interns
arrange to meet one-on-one to discuss the fall semester
internship. Planning the fall semester is an important
activity that sets the stage for a successful internship
experience for the intern, the mentor, and the students.
Mentors and interns alike must have a clear understanding
of how they will approach the fall semester.
During the fall semester, interns
receive on-campus training from their mentors in their
subject area. For example, teaching interns are incorporated
into their mentor’s classroom, first by observing
their mentor’s teaching methods in the classroom
and then by being shown how to prepare lessons and activities
for the students. After a few weeks (no more than 3), interns
begin to present topics to the students. Mentors provide
feedback in response to these teaching trials. As the semester
progresses, interns are allowed an increasing amount of
supervised time teaching in front of the class. When prepared
and capable, interns should teach at least one whole class
session in its entirety.
The fall semester is also a time
for interns to attend campus events or activities that
would help promote understanding of the various responsibilities
of our faculty. Interns are also provided opportunities
to meet the department chair, other members of the department,
and to gain a better understanding of campus life.
The October follow-up meeting gives
interns a chance to share their classroom experiences with
the other interns in their cohort. Job opportunities in
the District are explored, and specific interview skills/techniques
for educators are discussed.
The December follow-up meeting
offers interns the opportunity to participate in mock interviews.
This exercise gives interns invaluable insight and serves
to prepare them for the interview process when applying
for a permanent position.
The program culminates with an
end-of-year event to recognize the interns’ completion
of their internship and to recognize the contributions
of their mentors.
The terms of the assignment provide a stipend not to exceed $800 for each intern. The stipend is conditional on attending all mandatory events and all fall semester classes. The stipend is delivered in two payments at the end of October and at the end of December.
If you are interested in this program
which may lead to a career as a full time community college
instructor, counselor or librarian you must comply with
the following criteria:
- be authorized to work in the USA,
- have expertise in a subject area (either academic or
vocational) that is taught at one of the nine campuses
of the Los Angeles Community College District, and
- have no paid college (2 or 4 year) professional teaching
experience prior to applying or during the course of
the internship. Similar professional experience in counseling
or library science will disqualify applicants applying
as counseling interns or library interns.
The following types of paid teaching experience will not
disqualify an applicant from consideration:
- Preschool
- K-12
- Adult Education
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (TA)
- Community-Based Courses
- College-Extension Courses
- Non College-Credit Courses
- Corporate Education
The general eligibility requirements
for academic and vocational teaching areas are set forth
below. For specific subject areas, please refer to the
State
Minimum Qualifications.
Academic Disciplines
(Examples only: Math, English,
Life Science, Speech, Chemistry, etc.)
Applicants must:
- hold an advanced degree from an accredited college or university
- meet California Community College
minimum qualifications by the completion of a masters
degree in a subject area offered at a LACCD campus, and
- have no prior paid professional teaching, (in a credited course) or counseling or librarian experience at the college (2 or 4 year) level.
Vocational Disciplines
(Examples only: Computer
Information Systems, Licensed Vocational Nursing, Cabinet
Making, Cosmetology, etc.)
- meet California Community College
minimum qualifications by the completion of an Associate
degree combined with at least 6 years of full-time paid
experience in the subject area offered at a LACCD campus:
or
Bachelor's degree and 2 years of full-time paid experience
in the subject area offered at a LACCD campus, and
- have no prior paid professional teaching experience (in a credited course) at the college (2 or 4 year) level.
Interested persons must complete
all the following procedures outlined below in order to
apply, and be considered eligible as a Project MATCH intern:
- Complete the Application
Disclosure Form
- Write a letter of interest for
the Project MATCH internship. In that letter include
the discipline(s) you are interested in teaching as well
as an explanation of the completion of your undergraduate
and graduate degrees and GPA (signed and dated original,
no photocopies, no faxes, no form computer-generated
signatures)
- Provide a current resume.
- Provide official college/university
transcript(s), including all higher education units attempted.
Higher education includes all course work completed beyond
high school that address the minimum qualifications needed
in your discipline. You may send either the:
sealed official (not photocopied) college/university
transcript(s).
OR
photocopies of your official college/university transcripts.
Do not send in printed unofficial transcripts downloaded
from a website as it does not contain adequate information
regarding your degrees.
If you have foreign transcripts, they must be evaluated
by a recognized USA agency that is accepted by LACCD. Please
read the Agencies
Evaluating Foreign Transcripts to see
who to contact. You must submit this evaluation with your
foreign transcripts at the time you apply for this internship.
If you submit photocopies of your official transcripts
and/or official transcript evaluations, and are invited
to interview, you must bring the official (not photocopied)
college/university transcript(s) and/or official transcript
evaluations to your interview.
- Provide one signed letter of
recommendation written expressly for the Project MATCH
internship application within the last 6 months (no photocopies,
no faxes, no form letters or computer-generated signatures)
from an individual (not a family member) who has provided
post-secondary academic instruction to the applicant
or who has worked in a professional setting as a supervisor
to the applicant.
All these materials
(Items 1 to 5) must be received by the closing date
and will not be returned to you.
An invitation to interview will
be mailed to eligible applicants in March.
All intern applicant interviews
will be conducted on one Friday and/or Saturday during
the month of March or April. The criteria for selection
will include, at minimum:
- Academic preparation or occupational
expertise in a target discipline.
- Excellent oral and written communication
skills.
We are looking for talented individuals
who want to pursue a career in a community college and
are interested in interning as an instructor, counselor,
and librarian at our nine community colleges.
Unsuccessful applicants will be
also notified by mail on or about the end of March. Unsuccessful
applicants who wish to apply again in the future must submit
a fresh application and address items 1 to 5.
Deadline for filling for 2012: 4:00 pm on Friday,
February 24th, 2012.
We will be accepting applications
beginning December 1, 2011. Please do not submit your application
prior to that date as it will not be accepted. All application
materials (see 1-5 above) must be received (hand delivered
or by mail, no faxes or emails) at the address below by 4:00
pm, Friday, February 24th, 2012.
Los Angeles Community College District
Project MATCH Internship
Office of Diversity Programs
770 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017-3896
For additional information, contact
the Office of Diversity Programs, at (213) 891-2315.
