School to Work Programs Lindsay Runyen

Why do we need them? Upon graduation, many students felt unprepared for their future How do they apply what they learned in high school to real life? Postsecondary classrooms, workforce, interpersonal relations These programs were designed to Introduce students to work or career opportunities Teach them how to apply their learned skills

Where it starts School to Work Opportunities Act ‘94 Uses federal funds to plan and establish statewide systems Help states and localities build on programs that are already established Not reinventing the wheel

What are they for? Not just tech or vocational schools Students in regular classroom settings need to be familiarized with skills they will need in everyday life Teachers should bridge the gap in between what they are learning and how they can apply it beyond the classroom

Students need to become aware of interests and opportunities at a young age Noviance Personality test Interest inventories This will enable them to seek out opportunities later in their educational career

Each school has a variety of resources available to the students for training beyond the classroom Intermediate unit Career/ Future Planning Centers Personal relationships with companies/programs Community centers It is crucial for us as counselors to be aware of these opportunities so we are able to provide them to students

References http://www.sreb.org/page/1078/high_schools_that_work.html http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/high_school/work_study.shtml  http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/school-to-work/  http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/Could-More-Vocational-Programs-Create-Jobs.html