Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School student Alivia Miller works on a spoiler Friday, Feb. 17, at Classic Automotive repair in Mars, where she works for experience, school credit and pay. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

Real world experience goes a long way.

Many colleges require or recommend internships to students. Businesses may offer apprenticeships. And the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School starts getting students real world experience young with its co-op program.

The program, featured in the Education special section of yesterday’s Butler Eagle, allows students to earn credits for working jobs in the real world in their field of study.

One such student, Alivia Miller was featured in her coverage. She told us how she had done paint and body work on her own truck, but that it was especially rewarding to start working on vehicles for customers.

This spring, the school has 40 students — all working real world jobs as teens and getting experience in their area of interest. Many of them will even go into these fields, so they are a step ahead in their career.

According to workforce development coordinator, Blake Beatrice, students often find job placements on their own. Ninety-percent have it figured out before meeting with him.

That speaks volumes about the students, the program and the value of real world experience.

We see an emphasis on real world experience in higher education, too.

Undergraduate students at Slippery Rock University may participate in an internship to earn between 1 to 12 credits. A minimum of 40 hours of work is required for each credit earned, according to the university’s website.

In some majors, it’s even required that students complete an internship.

There’s certainly value in getting out there, in the real world. We applaud the institutions encouraging students to gain that experience.

— TL