What Does School-to-Career Look Like?
School-to-Career initiatives take many forms. These experiences can take place at school, at a workplace or in an activity that integrates the two. These activities can include:
• Job shadowing, mentoring, internships and apprenticeships: Shadowing gives students a glimpse of a typical day at work. Mentoring allows students and employers to work together to build knowledge and set goals. Internships and apprenticeships teach students an occupation in a structured program sponsoreed by employers, labor unions or employee associations.

• Enhanced school curricula: School-to-Career activities provide relevancy for academic lessons, giving students another incentive to learn and an opportunity to apply classroom learning in other settings.

• Job exploration: Career fairs, workplace tours and classroom visits by employers can expose students to the range and requirements of different careers.

• Technical preparation: These programs combine the last two years of high school with community college work toward a technical degree.

• Career academies: These schools within schools are focused on a single career theme, such as travel and tourism. The curriculum integrates academic learning and on-the-job skills training.

• Career awareness: Students do research or choose course work that helps them learn more about future careers.

• Enterprise projects: Students identify community needs and develop projects to meet them.

• Cooperative learning: Part-time jobs are coordinated with school-based learning to provide students with another enriched experience.

Who Can Participate in School-to-Career?
School-to-Career is intended for every student -- regardless of individual or cultural barriers. Students who want to be doctors, novelists, engineers or firefighters can benefit from a "test ride" outside the classroom.
Rhode Island's initiatives are driven by local needs and by the ideas of local educators, employers and community partnerships.

Making this new vision of education come to life will require the involvement of many Rhode Islanders: educators, employers, parents and students.

If you would like more information about one of those groups, you may choose to enter secondary home pages for:

Educators
Employers
Students
Parents

School-to-Career is aimed at learners of all ages, from kindergarten through high school and beyond.

School-to-Career: K-12 and beyond

Links to Other Sites
Rhode Island School-to-Career