{"id":174577,"date":"2026-02-12T05:16:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T05:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174577\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T05:16:56","slug":"ctec-students-gain-real-world-experience-through-kcsos-warehouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174577\/","title":{"rendered":"CTEC Students Gain Real-World Experience Through KCSOS Warehouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) Warehouse, home of the Maintenance and Operations Department, high school students are stepping into a working classroom \u2014 learning warehouse operations while gaining real-world experience that can launch their future careers.<\/p>\n

Through a new internship partnership with Kern High School District\u2019s Career Technical Education Center (CTEC), students in the Logistics and Distribution program are rotating through half-day internships at both the KCSOS central warehouse and the Food and Nutrition Services kitchen warehouse. The students attend morning or afternoon shifts Tuesday through Friday at the warehouse while also completing corresponding coursework through CTEC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited that we were chosen to start this all, and hopefully it spreads into a lot of other departments,\u201d said Robert Roberson, supervisor of warehouse operations at KCSOS. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that the kids really gain some valuable knowledge and skills that they can use.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many of the students, the experience has been eye-opening. Instead of simulations or diagrams, they are handling real inventory, learning digital tracking systems, operating heavy equipment like pallet jacks, and navigating professional expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice knowing what the racks look like, what an actual workplace looks like,\u201d said Peyton Slayden, a junior at Golden Valley High School. \u201cI really feel like it sets us up for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Christopher Hernandez organizes paperwork for boxes of files and records. <\/p>\n

\"\"Senior Dillon Schuler diligently checks expiration dates on goods in the kitchen warehouse.<\/p>\n

For senior Christopher Hernandez, also of Golden Valley High School, this internship gave him a dose of reality in the workforce, teaching him the importance of time management and showing up. He says the prospect of working in this setting felt daunting at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was going to be pretty stressful,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI was afraid I was going to get a fast-paced work site. But it\u2019s more like a controlled environment. They help us learn. It\u2019s not like regular school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students work across two distinct environments: the general KCSOS warehouse, which stores everything from furniture to student records, and the Food and Nutrition Services warehouse, where daily deliveries of fresh, frozen, refrigerated, and dry goods require precise coordination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re dealing with food, there\u2019s an extra layer,\u201d explained Rafael Juarez, who oversees Food and Nutrition Services logistics. \u201cYou\u2019re thinking about shelf life, first-in first-out inventory, refrigeration, daily deliveries, and sustainability. There\u2019s a lot to it \u2014 and the students get exposed to all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The food warehouse, which receives deliveries every day to ensure fresh fruits and vegetables for schools across the county, operates very differently from a typical general warehouse, where large but less frequent shipments are the norm.<\/p>\n

Although the program builds strong technical skills, supervisors note that students gain much more than hands-on experience with equipment and inventory systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one is life skills,\u201d Roberson said. \u201cThey\u2019re learning how to talk to drivers, vendors, supervisors \u2014 how to be professional. Those are things you don\u2019t really get in a classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety is also a major focus. Students receive hands-on instruction in proper lifting techniques, pallet stacking, and equipment use, learning to communicate clearly and work as a team in an active warehouse environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we\u2019re moving something heavy, it\u2019s all about communication,\u201d said F\u00e9lix Navejas, warehouse delivery worker with Food and Nutrition Services.<\/p>\n

For students, the internship provides something many high schoolers lack when entering the workforce: hands-on experience that sets them apart from other students seeking jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be able to say they worked three to four months in a warehouse or kitchen warehouse,\u201d Juarez said. \u201cThat\u2019s huge. That\u2019s what helps them get their foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

The internship program grew out of a larger vision to connect education directly to workforce readiness. According to Ryan Knapp, senior director of Maintenance and Operations at KCSOS, the idea originated with KCSOS\u2019s most important mission \u2014 being advocates for children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is another way to support them,\u201d Knapp said. \u201cWe want to make sure that we have a nice, safe environment for kids where they\u2019re able to ask questions, and to help stimulate their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the workplace experience, hands-on skills, and professional development, students are also discovering whether logistics is \u2014 or isn\u2019t \u2014 the right path for them. Knapp says no matter what students decide, his team is here to support them and help them grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether they become future law enforcement and they\u2019re dealing with the general public, or they go into a corporate management job, whatever it is, we hope that the skills that they learn here are transferable to wherever they go,\u201d Knapp said.<\/p>\n

With 46 school districts across Kern County\u2014many with their own warehouse operations\u2014the potential career pathways are broad, spanning both public and private sectors.<\/p>\n

KCSOS leaders hope the program will continue to grow and serve as a model for future internships across departments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want interns just for the sake of interns,\u201d Knapp said. \u201cWe want meaningful experiences that truly benefit students.\u201d<\/p>\n

For students like Slayden, the impact is already clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in school your whole life, and then you come here, and it\u2019s completely different,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re learning, but in a way that feels real.\u201d<\/p>\n

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