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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 the United States of America.
The program is open to all qualified applicants that 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, follow-up sessions and the mock interviews, 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:
- The Program kick-off event and session held in late May marking the beginning of the Summer Institute.
- The Summer Institute, held during the months July and August, designed to give interns the fundamental theories and skills necessary to thrive in their community college internship. Summer Institute classes are scheduled on weeknights from 6:00 pm to 10:00 p.m.
- A follow-up session held on a Saturday in October and mock interviews held on a Saturday in November.
- 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, each intern will be assigned/matched with a faculty mentor who teaches in the intern’s particular subject area. The intern will be assigned to work with the mentor 3 - 5 hours per week for 15 consecutive weeks during 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 Thursday, and the assignment will take place at one of the nine colleges in the District. Please note: Evening opportunities are not available for counseling interns.
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.
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 and the Program Administrator.
The Summer Institute 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.
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. 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 session 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 Mock Interviews are held in November. Participation in the interviews give interns invaluable insight and serves to prepare them for the interview process when applying for a faculty position.
The program culminates with an end-of-year dinner and awards event held in December to recognize the interns’ completion of their internship and to recognize the contributions of their mentors.
The terms of the assignment provide a stipend of $800 for each intern. The stipend is conditional on attending all mandatory events and all fall semester classes and is delivered in two payments at the end of October and at the end of December.
If you are interested in this program you must meet the following criteria:
- be authorized to work in the USA,
- meet minimum qualifications to teach 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
Interested persons will be required to file the application using the LACCD's web-based software to create an applicant profile account, allowing documents to be saved and uploaded as attachments. After review of the application materials by the selection committee, candidates will be contacted by email only if selected for interviews. Applicants not selected will also be contacted by email only.
For consideration in the selection process, all interested applicants must submit the following:
- A letter of interest specifically for the Project MATCH internship. In that letter include the discipline(s) you are interested in and qualified to teach as well as an explanation of the completion of your undergraduate and graduate degrees and GPA.
- A current resume
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. Provide one signed letter of recommendation written expressly for the Project MATCH internship application within the last 6 months 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 must be received by the closing date in February. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. All application materials become the proprty of LACCD and will not be returned to the applicant.
An invitation to interview will be emailed to eligible applicants who, in the opinion of the selection committee, best fulfill the requirements listed in tis announcement.
Due to the number of applications received we are unable to respond to individual inquiries. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure he/she meets the minimum qualificaitons to teach at a community college. Determination of qualifications will not be made before an application is filed.
Original transcripts will be required to be produced, if the applicant is chosen and accepts the internship, before the commencement of the first intership event or session.
If you require reasonable accommodation regarding applying, interviewing, or participating because you have a qualified disability under the provision of the American with Disability Act (ADA), please contact Joanna Zimring Towne, at (213) 891-2175. |