Job Shadowing
A job shadowing experience allows a student to accompany an employee for a day of work. The employee holds a position in which the student has expressed interest. During their high school exposure, students may have the opportunity to experience several job shadows.
Students generally are equipped with some background information about the health and safety issues concerning specific areas of interest. Moreover, they are coached on subjects such as appearance, good manners and relevant questions to which they must find answers during the day.
Evaluations are provided by both the student and the employer (and/or mentor) to determine the effectiveness of the experience.
Reports of the students job shadowing are presented to the teacher/sponsor of the experience.
Speakers Bureau
Guest speakers from business and industry are needed in all grade levels in all of our schools. It is important for students to understand the application of the material that they are learning. It is also valuable for students to learn about the various career positions in the world of work.
If a member of your work force has an application of a principle that is taught in Grades K-12, (and we can assist in determining the grade level where it would be shown to be of greatest value) which he/she believes is meaningful and exciting, please speak with us about it by calling 781-861-6500 x217. We are committed to making ALL subject curricula more interesting; however, we do emphasize this need for applications in the areas of mathematics and science in order that our students excel and develop a strong desire to work as adults in those areas. The earlier in the school experience that we can introduce an all-inclusive speakers program, the more meaningful our reformed curricula can be.
Student Internships
Today, high school students are interested in joining and understanding the workplace, the professional courtesies, and the expectations that employers possess. Before any internship commences, all safety and health issues must be discussed with the student by the school personnel in addition to the business and/or industry personnel. The work-based company or business needs to supply the local high school, or the Minuteman School-to-Careers Office, with a copy of its Certificate of General Liability. Participating student interns must carry health insurance, and if driving their automobile to and from the work site, proper car insurance must also be in effect.
The internships give the student an opportunity to work in an area where he/she may be employed after high school or college. Before the internship is finalized an employer should be shown a resume of the student. The duration of the student internship may be as short as a week or as long as one half of a school year. At the work site, a mentor (usually a highly valued employee and an excellent example) is selected by the employer to be a confidant and a guide for the student. Student internships may be paid or unpaid. Employers should be shown how to use the Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Plan by a member of the school-based learning team. Preliminary papers also must be completed by the student, the parents, the employer, and the educational entities involved in the experience.
The employer should be notified of any pre-internship course taken by the student so that he/she may have input for the course in the future, after a specific internship concludes. At the close of the student internship, a student must submit a time log, a reflective essay, and/or a project to a group of teachers at his/her high school. Evaluation forms will also be submitted by either the employer and/or the mentor. Students need to make a strong effort in demonstrating how the information that was learned on the job relates to the information that is being learned in the classroom.
