High school Career Readiness course initiated
08/22/2013 -
Tomorrow’s Leaders Today is partnering with the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), Santa Rosa City Schools, and Santa Rosa Junior College to initiate a new semester-long class for high school students. The Sonoma County Career Readiness course will combine classroom instruction and internships to help students develop 21st century workplace skills and interests.
The program, approved this month by the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Trustees, will draw students from all five comprehensive high schools as well as the district’s continuation school. It will open this fall, with students attending the class on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus.
Participating students will learn work readiness skills through sessions that feature job shadowing, guest speakers, training in 21st century skills, and a curriculum that concentrates on California’s Standards for Career Ready Practice. Each student will also complete a 40-hour internship with a local business, government agency, or nonprofit organization. Students will have the opportunity to earn a Work Readiness Certificate, which engages employer representatives in verifying students’ entry-level workplace skills.
Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training youth for community leadership, will facilitate the job shadowing and internship components of the program. A career readiness teacher employed by SCOE will create and deliver the curriculum, which will be infused with project-based learning, real-world experiences, and interactive assignments that use state-of-the-art technology tools.
“This partnership initiative is funded entirely through private donations,” explains Stephen Jackson, SCOE’s Career Development/Workforce Preparation director. “It is a unique example of how public and private agencies can work together to develop the county’s workforce of the future. Our goal is to implement a successful new program, then expand it to other districts in our county.”
For more information
Contact Stephen Jackson, sjackson@scoe.org or (707) 524-2720
