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WORK EXPERIENCE COMPONENT: INTERNSHIP Description of the component. Provide a summary of the activities and services. Internship, under the SNAP Path to Work umbrella is a planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period. Internships help the participant gain competencies and experience to meet local employer demands. Internships must be related to career choice or career exploration and provide learning through work-based projects. The program may be paid or unpaid and must: • not provide any work that has the effect of replacing the employment of an individual not participating in the employment or training experience program; and • provide the same benefits and working conditions that are provided at the job site to employees performing comparable work for comparable hours. Examples of Unsubsidized Internship Programs: Interseminarian-Project Place’s Industry Internship Program (IIP) IIP serves as an introduction to the agency's transitional employment by allowing participants to put the soft and hard skills associated with employment in place through on-the-job training in one of Project Place's three social enterprises. Participants gain knowledge and experience in one of the following industries: janitorial and maintenance or logistics and vending. During the credentialing portion of the program, clients attend industry specific classroom-based training to reinforce skills and work to obtain an industry recognized credential in Customer Services through the National Retail Federation Foundation. Additionally, clients can explore job opportunities and career pathways during employment lab and benefit from 1:1 case management services. Quarterly certifications for OSHA10 are also available. Upon completion of the four-week program, graduates have the opportunity to engage in transitional employment through one of the agency's two social enterprises. Operation A.B.L.E.’s ABLE Internship To provide students with skills upgrading, recent work experience, and current references, Operation A.B.L.E. offers a six-week internship component with an ABLE partner employer. The goal is to match the internship placement with the interests, career goals, and skill levels of each participant. Placements are established in several industries including healthcare, education, hospitality, and the non-profit sector. Participants work four days per week with the fifth day set aside for job search activity. An agreement is negotiated between ABLE and the employer as a means to structure the experience and to ensure that the placement complies with the training/career plan. The ABLE program manager provides regular follow-up with the employer to ensure a "good match" and address any issues that may arise at the worksite. Examples of Subsidized Internship Programs: Community Servings’ Teaching Kitchen Food Service Job Training Program Community Servings (CSI), the only provider offering subsidized internship activity in FFY 2026, provides home-delivered meals and nutrition services to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses. The Teaching Kitchen is a hands-on culinary job-training program, covering core culinary concepts, Servsafe, 50-hour hands-on internship in the high-volume production kitchen, job readiness and life skills, nutrition classes, digital literacy. Trainees progress through a series of competencies including culinary, job, and life skills, with a weekly opportunity to demonstrate progress on competencies gained. Trainees are paid minimum wage for all hours of course participation (up to 25 hours per week, assuming full participation). Core Culinary Concepts The following units include demonstration of techniques, food preparation, cooking and baking methods; understanding the roles of ingredients, seasoning, tasting; identification of foods, vocabulary and use of ingredients in recipes or formulas. Alongside of culinary skills, teamwork and working cleanly and efficiently in the kitchen are emphasized throughout all core culinary units: Cooking Terms/Techniques, Kitchen Equipment/Utensil Identification, Cooking Measures, Knife Skills, Kitchen Math, Basic Baking, Product Identification: Cheese, fruits, vegetables, dairy, herbs/spices, pasta, rice, beans, proteins Servsafe: Using both classroom and hands-on teaching, all trainees learn about food safety concepts, culminating in certification for the Servsafe Food Handler and Servsafe Allergy Awareness, both nationally recognized credentials. Work Based Learning: Every trainee completes a 150-hour hands-on internship in the high-volume production kitchen at Community Servings. Trainees work under the guidance of the Executive Chef and Cooks to support the daily preparation and packaging of 5,000+ scratch-made, medically tailored meals. Job Readiness and Life Skills: Weekly classes prepare trainees for employment upon graduation. Topics include preparation of a resume and references, and mock interviews. Classes also include the life skills that support successful employment including taking charge of automatic thinking and reactions, and taking actions consistent with goals, dreams, and values. Nutrition Classes: Led by skilled nutritionists and dietitians on staff at Community Servings, trainees learn about recommended daily servings, healthy diets, and nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Digital Literacy: All trainees participate in a three-hour weekly computer class and job club during weeks 7 through 12 of the Teaching Kitchen 1/29/26, 8:19 AM State Plan MA FY26 - Original Submission https://dam-fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/microsite/snapet-mafy26stateplan//index.html 75/167