Madison Park High School students Aida Rodriguez and M.C. Bearud are among those working for Citizens Bank as part of a Boston Private Industry Council summer jobs program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

Back in the day, the most a kid knew about banking was walking into a branch with mom or dad and receiving a lollipop from a teller. But in this millennium, high school students are learning firsthand the tricks and trades of banking and the working world while preparing for school in the fall.

While many summer jobs of the past centered around sun worshiping and neighborhood gatherings, today’s high school juniors and seniors are donning Brooks Bros. dress shirts and Polo ties for their employment at some of Boston’s biggest financial institutions.

As part of a Boston Private Industry Council program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education, thousands of high school students walked into the workplace this summer to gain work experience and a dose of the working world.

“We kicked off the session Monday [July 7] to the freshness of children’s faces,” said Kathy Schoeffler, director of human resources at Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, who oversees the summer job program at the bank.

While some professionals would tell students to enjoy their summers off now, officials at the DOE said the teen-agers enjoy the professional working experience.

“Students love the professional life experience – it really helps them. We stress to our employers to teach the students how what they are doing at the bank affects the entire company,” said Jillian Smith, a career specialist with PIC at Madison Park High School in Roxbury. “These students are going to be the future workforce of Boston – we want them to be as prepared as possible.”

‘Well-Rounded’

Young Bostonians, ranging in ages from 16 to 20, will spend the summer in full-time, paid positions at financial institutions including FleetBoston Financial, Citizens Bank and various Bay State nonprofit organizations that are sponsored by one of the banks, receiving on-the-job training in all areas of the respective organization.

The process begins at the high school, where students sift through books filled with summer job opportunities. Students meet with a career counselor advisor, fill out an application for employment, go through an interviewing process that includes a background check and eventually receive a formal offer letter from their summer employer.

“A lot of students have skills and can utilize them, but need someone to engineer those skills and show [the students] how to effectively use their skills,” said Schoeffler. “It’s a proven fact that students who have exposure to the work environment perform better academically.”

Jessica Mejia, a 19-year-old recent graduate of Charlestown High School and upcoming freshman at Pine Manor College, is spending her summer in Fleet’s Private Clients Group filing client papers, bar coding products and maintaining computer files.

Of her experience in banking thus far, Mejia said, “This [job] is giving me an idea of banking and I’m looking forward to taking financial classes in school. Had I not been here, I would not know what financing is all about.”

According to Dana Moss, senior relationship manager in Fleet’s Human Resources Department, Fleet hired 160 junior and senior high school students for jobs including positions at branches assisting with teller transactions, educating customers on other products and services available such as online banking and providing consumers with information on investment products available at the bank.

“There are a lot of clerical, entry-level jobs where students can be filing, faxing and calling customers for additional information on a loan application,” said Moss. “Still, it’s a nice opportunity to get well-rounded in an organization and to see what banking is all about.”

At Fleet, the summer program is 35 hours a week for two months and students are paid $8 an hour. Citizens offers a comparable package, with a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. workday at $7.50 an hour.

But regardless of a steady summer paycheck, some students were uncertain about working at a bank.

Aida Rodriguez, a 17-year-old student at Madison Park High, works in Citizens’ Nonprofit Lending Group entering data into computers and reorganizing and updating client files.

“I was very nervous at first, because this was my first time working a bank. I love it here and I would love to come to back next year,” said Rodriguez, who has a background in computer programming and Web design and hopes to attend Northeastern University to pursue a future in the medical field. “Banking is really good, but it’s just not for me.”

Tam Hau, an 18-year-old who will study business administration at Bay State College in the fall, said he was uncertain about working for a bank.

“The first [thought] through my mind was that I was going to be changing money. I thought ‘no way’ and I had a whole different perspective once orientation came around. I get to sit on the 10th floor of a high-rise building and meet all these people at the bank,” said Hau. “I was really surprised [at banking]. My pathway has always been computers … this year, I was able to combine business and computers and I like it even more.”

And some of the participating students are living out their childhood dream working at a bank.

“I wanted to work in a bank since I was young and would go to the bank with my mother. Banking is great and I learn a lot, especially about being a people person,” said M.C. Bearud, an 18-year-old senior at Madison Park High working in Citizens’ Technology Banking Group.

In addition to the provided work experience, students who have yet to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System examination, which is necessary to receive a diploma from the state’s public high schools, will be given daily tutorial sessions to prepare for the next MCAS test date in August.

The “Classroom in the Workplace” program, organized by PIC, identifies students at risk of failing the MCAS exam and combines literacy and math instruction with employment.

Students will spend 90 minutes each workday for six weeks in on-site classrooms, being prepared for the exam by Boston high school teachers.

“We don’t like the MCAS, but we’re all trying our best,” said Bearud, who is receiving math instruction for the exam while at Citizens.

“We have students who are great at school but just can’t pass this test. Some of the students aren’t accustomed to standardized testing, there is a language barrier, or students test badly. [PIC] will work with these students to show them we won’t give up on them,” said Smith. “This is a great way to teach responsibility at an early age.”