Local businesses and industries looking for new partnership opportunities may want to consider an educational endeavor featuring high school students.
Thomas County Central High School Work-Based Learning and Youth Apprenticeship program has started another year and is seeking new partners to offer its students employment and help them practice classroom lessons within a real world setting.
“The program offers students school-based and work-based learning opportunities related to the student’s career interest areas,” said Michelle Ausley, TCCHS Work-Based Learning Coordinator. “Students have the opportunity to connect what they learn in school with work-site application to enable smooth transition into the work force and/or education beyond high school.”
Program areas are: agriculture, automotive technology, audio video production, business education, early child care, family and consumer science, healthcare science, and welding technology.
Benefits for employers who participate in WBL include a source of skilled and motivated future employees.
“Thomas County Central High School work-based learning students have great work ethics,” Chick-fil-A supervisor Kris Babcock said. “The students are dependable, have positive attitudes and are perfect for our public relations with our customers. All TCCHS work-based learning students at Chick-fil-A began as ground level employees and now they are applying their excellent leadership skills because of Chick-fil-A management promoting them to team leaders.”
He added the program “is a great success in helping Chick-fil-A keep loyal and skilled employees for long periods of time, which helps a successful business stay successful.”
All WBL students must meet a structured set of criteria that includes completion of or enrollment in an appropriate technology/career education course that relates to his/her career objective and recommendations from three teachers.
Students who participate in the program also benefit in a variety of ways. For example, WBL participation provides opportunities to explore possible career fields and encourages the pursuit of education after high school.
Participant Bryce Marcinowski, an employee at the local Chick-fil-A, says the program “has been very useful and helpful” for both his employment and academic careers.
“Being able to leave early to go to work helps me see how shift changes work and a lot of other things that are important,” he said. “It helps me in academics only having four classes a day. It puts less stress on me and I can concentrate more on my classes. Working hard to be in this program is a goal I’m glad I met.”
For more information or to become a Work-Based Learning partner, contact Michelle Ausley at (229) 225-5050, ext. 192, or email mausley@thomas.k12.ga.us.