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JOB SHADOWING TO BUILD SCHOOL/BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS

Job shadowing is a useful program for introducing both high school and college students to exciting career possibilities within your organization. While most job shadowing programs for students are on a one-day basis, some high schools have tried job shadowing assignments for part of each school day, for a week or even a semester as part-time work. Some schools have customized the program so that students learn about a different job each day within an organization. This is a valuable career exploration tool for students and great experience for what work is like in the "real world" where not only personal skill sets, but customer service, teamwork, professionalism and problem-solving skills can be observed in action.

According to Marlene Lozada, a freelance writer who wrote on the subject in the November 1, 2001 edition of Techniques, "job shadowing is a 'best practice' when it comes to work-based learning activities for young people...but its success is contingent on careful planning and effective follow up...job shadowing should not resemble a field trip. Schools need a well-organized plan before sending their students out into the real world." Businesses need to recognize the value of such a program for developing future talent and make an effort to coordinate planning with the schools.

Richard Lynch, a professor of occupational studies at the University of Georgia 's School of Leadership and Lifelong Learning in Athens, suggests that middle school is the ideal place to start the job shadowing experience because "it gives them [students] a vision for the roles they might aspire to play in the workplace. "Gaining these insights early will help students make the right choices in the both high school and college curriculum.

Job shadowing is a win/win situation in that it gives students a better perspective on the value of education and it gives future employers a better-prepared workforce. The Tennessee school system started a statewide job shadowing initiative for grades 8-12 in 1998 called Education Edge. In the first year, approximately 7,500 students participated. In 2001, participation rose to nearly 20,000 students.

The following links contain information for students, parents, teachers and businesses to download. Included are sample tools and materials for implementing a cooperative job shadowing program: