One of the ways that a business can be exposed to new employment candidates is through a job shadow, mentorship, or an internship, via our School-to-Work program, which is where 16-18 year old students either observe or take part in the daily work activities (decided by the employer) in the field of his/her career choice.  Several benefits exist for the company in allowing a job shadow.

A business benefits from knowing what kinds of information our school is teaching potential candidates.  A student can offer new ideas being introduced in areas of technology, leadership, and the vocational courses, which helps the company to determine if our school is doing a good job preparing students both soft skills and academically.  At the end of the work experiences, both parties may continue working together.  The responsibility of the business during an internship or mentorship experience is to complete a training agreement before the student begins, verify monthly time cards, and complete a performance evaluation for the student every six weeks.

A low risk way to try out the program is to offer a job shadow of just 4-8 hours one time.  If the experience is positive for both parties we can establish a mentorship, which is unpaid, 4 hours/week and the liability and workman’s compensation falls on the school district.  Read through Iowa’s Labor Law to address any concerns.  An internship is a paid experience working 8+ hours/week and the business carries the liability and workmen’s compensation.  The business and School-to-Work Coordinator will work together to determine the work schedule that may or may not be part of a regular school day.  In combination with the work-experience our students are educated on the employment process. 

Each student completes a college course called Pre-Employment Strategies, the first trimester they are in the School-to-Work program, meeting each Tuesday during the trimester.  The objectives of the course are to:

1. Research various careers to determine salary, outlook, skills and education needed.
2. Create a resume and cover letter.
3. Complete a job application.
4. Practice interviewing.
5. Take the National Career Readiness Exam.

Once the student turns 18 you may want to consider offering an apprenticeship which is an employer-driven model, combining on-the-job learning with related classroom instruction and allows the apprentice to earn a paycheck from day one.  Find out why you should consider providing an apprenticeship.

We invite you to contact the School-to-Work Coordinator, Luke Pisarik, at [email protected] to ask questions or find out how to get started!