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School-to-Work: Expanding Opportunities for Students, Employers and Communities
“Everyone and everything around you is your teacher.”
--Ken Keyes, Jr.
Your middle school or high school child will more than likely participate in one or more School-to-Work (STW) experiences. School-to-Work is a way of linking young people and meaningful work...classroom learning with workplace learning...and education with careers. It involves many components, all working together, resulting in ...
- High levels of academic and technical achievement
- Strong problem-solving, team work and technology skills
- Clear career goals
- Access to postsecondary education and meaningful employment
- Better understanding of the world of work as well as how area companies and service agencies contribute to the local and global economy
School-to-Work (STW) requires educators to make meaningful changes in what they teach and how they teach it, as well as the ways they help students explore career options. It also encourages employers to participate actively in the education process as a way of investing in their own future workforce. And, it enables students and parents to become stronger partners in obtaining a more rigorous and relevant education.
State and federal legislation provides support for STW programs and systems across South Carolina and the nation. Locally, the school districts of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties, as well as Tri-County Technical College, are working collaboratively with area employers and the Partnership for Academic and Career Education (PACE) Consortium to plan and develop School-to-Work programs.
School-to-Work involves classroom learning that encourages high standards and that is purposefully linked with workplace learning experiences. Workplace learning is planned jointly by school personnel and employers, and ranges from brief activities to long-term assignments, which may or may not be paid. Options include…
- Job Shadowing: A student observes an employee on the job for a portion of a workday or a full workday. The student “shadows” the employee to learn more about what he/she does on the job, what the company or agency does, and what it takes to be successful in the world of work. To experience virtual job shadowing, try one of these sites:
http://www.acinet.org/acinet/videos_by_cluster.asp
www.jobshadow.org
- Service Learning/Community Service: Students apply classroom knowledge and skills in real world situations through a community service project or activity.
- Internship: This option allows students to spend several days or weeks in a job related to their coursework or choice of careers. These opportunities may be paid or unpaid and are designed to meet the needs of the sponsoring employer while providing real world experiences for the students.
- Cooperative Education (Co-op): Students combine classroom instruction and paid work experience related to their chosen occupational program of study. A training program is developed by the sponsoring employer and school to facilitate the learning process.
- Youth Apprenticeship: This highly structured program combines school instruction with on-the-job training. It is designed for students who are at least 16 years old, lasts three to four years, and leads to an associate degree and certification in the mastered field.
Who Benefits?
School-to-Work benefits everyone - students, employers, parents, school systems and communities.
- Students benefit from real-world experiences that reinforce their classroom studies and help focus their career interests.
- Parents gain confidence that their children’s education is meaningful, and that it provides many worthwhile options after high school.
- Employers benefit from an improved educational system and opportunities to develop skilled, young employees who can contribute to advancing the goals of the company/agency.
- School systems and communities benefit from greater numbers of high school graduates who are capable of obtaining meaningful employment and continuing their formal education.
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