Work Experience Programs CTE 550 Janine Oddo

Overview of the Presentation This presentation gives an overview on what was learned from the district and BOCES interviews I also include my thoughts on what I would set up my own program to include, based on what was learned from the interviews done by myself and my classmates The Most Effective Program Organization and Best Practices sections begins with the BOCES interview with Debby Felber, and then goes into what was learned overall from the district interviews that were conducted

Most Effective Program Organization BOCES Interview: Frequent visits to the work site were most effective in maintaining strong communications between students, coordinators, and employers Job shadowing opportunities for students and a career outline made up for the students to follow so the students know what to expect was a successful strategy Strong and lasting relationships should be maintained with employers to demonstrate a strong and consistent internship program An emphasis should be on a well-rounded student as a result of the program, with strengths including content, interviewing, hard work, communication, and workplace skills

Most Effective Program Organization continued…. Districts: Only the best students are chosen through a thorough evaluation process including applications, teacher interviews, extracurricular involvement, and grades Keeping the number of students involved per semester to a manageable level, with most being less than 30 students. This ensures that all parties involved get the attention and support that is needed to be successful Coordinators should constantly be trying to recruit new workplaces and ensuring that they are strong workplaces through evaluations and discussions with employers

Most Effective Program Organization continued…. Districts continued… There should be a correlation between the application process to that of applying for a real job to prepare students for the process and experience Following specific state guidelines and labor laws is emphasized and encouraged Some sort of advisory body should be in place to watch the program in order to hold the program and its coordinators accountable

Best Practices BOCES Interview: Compassion for the students and their experience is key Open and positive communications with students, employers, and parents is emphasized to ensure all have a great experience Teaching resume writing, interviewing skills, and skills for success in the workplace will develop student understanding Visiting the employers once per week personally to ensure that everything is running smoothly and to handle any problems/concerns is essential

Best Practices continued… Districts: Have a strong first contact with potential and continuing employers by both the teacher and the student to show professionalism, a willingness to work and be accommodating, and sense of responsibility and hard work Keep a thorough evaluation process in place to ensure that students are properly screened before the selection process is complete Ensure strong communication is present between advisory boards/community and the school program to make all aware of the goals of the program Employer and student evaluations should be done of the experience to get both perspectives and make any modifications for the future

How I will set up my own program: Overall, my program will be set up very similar to the best practices section to include all of those features Additionally, the following features will be included in my program: Application process that is based on extracurricular activities, teacher recommendations, and experiences Grades will be secondary as long as the students can show a willingness to learn and a strong work ethic My program will have a major emphasis on communication skills, professional expectations, career exploration opportunities, and developing lifelong goals and skills for the students This shows that a career is a life decision, so great thought and opportunity should be given to all aspects

How I will set up my own program continued… I will work with guidance, teachers, and administration in the school along with parents to increase awareness of my program and its benefits I will market my program using all of these avenues through brochures, discussions, and student experiences as examples

How I will set up my own program continued… I will be flexible as times change in terms of technology, school expectations of students, and as students needs change I will try to bring in additional teachers and coordinators into my program when possible to help distribute the duties in effort to be more efficient, effective, and to meet student needs better

How I will set up my own program continued… I will have my students write a research paper at the end of their experience covering the following topics: What they liked and disliked Their thoughts on their career choice What they would change about the experience for the future Skills that they found most useful and most used What they learned about themselves in terms of their abilities as a worker in a real-world setting

How I will set up my own program continued… I will constantly keep in mind the following things: That each student is unique and has something special to offer I am there for the students, employers, and parents for success in running the program I have to be willing to be adaptable with the changing times, needs of students, and needs of employers to be successful