School-to-Work Outreach Project 1995 Exemplary Model/Practice/Strategy

Job Shadowing Brentwood Elementary School Florida

Julie had dropped out of school as a fourteen year old mother with an abusive boyfriend and a difficult home life. When Julie returned to high school, at the age of sixteen, she wanted to graduate and find a job. She was placed in the Alternative Cooperative Education Program (ACE), a vocational program for at-risk students affiliated with the School-to-Work program. The School-to-Work program matched Julie with a mentor who met with her weekly, providing her support and encouragement. Her mentor helped Julie devise a specific plan to identify and attain her goals. With the assistance of tutors, Julie made up missed credit through independent study while carrying a full load of regular classes, including parenting classes. As she progressed through school, Julie learned to value the importance of her education. The Career Exploration component gave Julie an opportunity to become familiar with various career options. She developed an awareness about her interest and aptitude for work in healthcare. Additionally, she learned to fill out a job application, write a resume, and prepare for an interview. This training helped Julie get a part-time job scheduling home visits for health aides. The program's focus on post-secondary education and training and Julie's new found appreciation for the value of education gave her the drive to access financial aid, go to a community college, and get a Certified Nurse's Assistant (CNA) Certificate. Since receiving her CNA certificate, Julie has been working full time and attending nursing school in the evenings. She will graduate from nursing school within the next two years and become a registered nurse. The School-to-Work Program provides an opportunity for students like Julie to realize and achieve their goals, because of a very simple philosophy of envisioning future success for every student regardless of their background. * * * * * * Contact Person Kristi Esbenshade School-to-Work Program Manager (303) 650-7735 Community Setting Major city. This program is offered in Adams, Denver, and Jefferson counties of Colorado. Population Served The program serves 1,300 students, between the ages of 14 and 22, primarily who are at-risk and/or have learning disabilities. Other areas of primary diagnosis include mental retardation, deaf /hard of hearing, speech or language impairment, and visual disabilities. Program Staff 1 full-time Facilitator, State Certified Teacher 4 part-time Volunteer Coordinator 1 full-time ¥ Recruits and trains mentors and classroom speakers ¥ Provides job shadowing and visits job sites and employers ¥ Organizes parent involvement and community special events Mission/Goals

To provide employment training and education opportunities for students at-risk and/or with disabilities to gain skills, which will give students the ability, as well as the desire, to enhance their lives. The goals of the project are to assist students to (a) develop an awareness of career options and post-secondary opportunities, (b) develop employability skills and understand the relevance of such skills to the workplace, (c) develop the ability to set, attain, and evaluate reasonable goals, (d) transition from high school to work and/or post-secondary education, (e) develop skills necessary to be self-sufficient and live independently, and (f) use resources in the community including volunteers as supports.

Organization/Program Context

The School-to-Work program is a collaborative effort between the public and private sector. The program began as a result of a cooperative effort between Goodwill Industries and a coalition of local community agencies wanting to find ways to expand the career, educational, and job opportunities of students who are at-risk and/or have disabilities. The program started as a pilot project serving 15 students in two schools and has steadily grown to include 13 schools serving over 1,000 students. The schools are identified based on student demographics and the success of their vocational programs. Goodwill works collaboratively with the school administrators and teachers to facilitate the classes.

Community Setting

Large city. The students come from the local community and communities surrounding the city. Florida has a large tourism industry, resulting in many service jobs. For this reason, Job Shadowing focuses primarily on work experience in the service sector.

Population Served

Program/Organization
Brentwood Elementary School has over 1,000 students in grades K-5. Ten percent of the students are in special education.

Model/Practice/Strategy
Job Shadowing serves 17 students in 4th and 5th grade (ages 9-13) who have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation.

Model/Practice/Strategy Description

The prerequisite for participation in this program is that students have been identified as at-risk and/or having a mild disability. Once in the program, students participate in both the classroom-based and community-based components. In the classroom-based component, classroom facilitators, licensed by the State of Colorado, provide vocational assessment and job skills training. Additional skills crucial to success in the workplace, such as goal setting, development of interpersonal relationships, money management, leisure/recreational options, and how to access advocacy, legal, and medical services are integrated into the curriculum. In the community-based component, employers and mentors are brought into the classroom to discuss job and career options, develop job leads, stage mock interviews, create job site visits and shadowing opportunities, and provide encouragement and guidance to students. The partnership of these two components results in a program that helps students see their strengths, understand their options, find their career directions, and enter successfully into adulthood.

Exemplary School-to-Work Components

Career Exploration and Job-Seeking Skills - School-based Learning
Career exploration and job-seeking skills are the two topics covered in the classroom. In career exploration, students complete a self-directed search which helps them identify their employment interests and aptitudes. Volunteer speakers discuss a wide variety of occupations with the students. In job-seeking, facilitators help students search job advertisements, write a resume and cover letter, call and talk to a prospective employers, and complete mock interviews.

Job Shadowing - Work-based Learning
Students go through job shadowing in the field of their choice and make site visits to a variety of corporations and companies. During the site visit, students are exposed to all aspects and departments of a company and get a first-hand look at the work place. These activities provide an avenue for the community to connect with schools.

Mentorships- Connecting Activity
Students in the program are paired with mentors, who are recruited from local industries, businesses, and corporations. Mentors reinforce the employability skills that are taught in the classroom and help students make job contacts and career decisions. As a result of this interaction, a trust develops between students and mentors which is essential for the success of the program.

What Makes it Work?

• Staff members are committed and trained to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and support necessary to obtain permanent employment. The staff includes certified teachers in the classroom.
• The school-to-work curriculum is consistent and flexibile. The curriculum, developed by the facilitators, can be used in part or as a whole, depending on individual students' needs.
• Emphasis is placed on the success of students. There is a signficantly higher graduation rate among students in the program than students not in the program.
• The focus is on the individual student. The students are known, addressed by their name, and matched with mentors.
• The mentoring component enhances the involvement of community business leaders in helping students explore career development.

Staff

• Manager
  1 full-time
  * Manages the program
  * Acts as community liaison
  * Assists in job development

• Facilitator, State Certified Teacherl
  4 part-time
  * Participates in individualized case management, including assessment and evaluation
  * Acts as community resource liaisons
  * Helps to support curriculum
  * Provides in-class, individual assistance

Rachel is a 10 year old student with Down's syndrome. She is the middle child in her family which includes an older brother and a younger sister. Both of Rachel's parents are educators who are very involved in the education of their children. Rachel and her siblings participate in various youth programs such as softball, gymnastics, Special Olympics and church youth group. The family is very active and every child is noted for their uniqueness. The Job Shadowing Program was introduced at a back to school open house. After hearing about the new program, Rachel's mother was apprehensive. She wasn't convinced that having the students go to work during the school day was a necessary addition to the regular class routine and academics. Once the school term got under way and the academic routines were established the job shadowing began. Rachel was already a good student, but the work experience heightened her interest in school. Rachel excelled.... it was a super school year for her! In the morning she would bounce out of bed, dress in her uniform (shirts provided by the business partnerships), make sure her homework was completed and ask her mom to sign her student folder accordingly. The Job Shadowing Program was featured on the local television news. Rachel was in the spotlight and she became a school-wide star. The work experience and fame raised her confidence. She was more willing to attend her mainstream classes and she easily met academic hurdles. Rachel's family became witness to the success of the program during a family outing to a restaurant, one of the business partnerships. All of the staff recognized Rachel. They teased about her night out and the roles she had played while at work. Rachel was a customer introducing her "work friends" to her family. Rachel's mother was quick to inform the Job Shadowing teacher about the positive experience at the restaurant. Job Shadowing was an integral part of Rachel's life in the community, at work and in school!

Work experience has raised Rachel's confidence and connected her to the community.

This profile was generated by the School-to-Work Outreach Project at the Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota. The development and dissemination of these profiles was supported in part by grant #H029B30142 from the U.S. Department of Education.

For further information, contact the School-to-Work Outreach Project, Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota, 101D Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

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