 Work-based
Learning
Emerging & Promising Practices
Career Development Program
The Career Development Program (CDP) is an integral component of
Bay Cove Academy of Brookline, MA. CDP is a program that serves
youth ages 12-21 who have severe emotional, behavioral, or learning
disabilities. All students and staff of Bay Cove Academy participate
in CDP, which incorporates both school- and work-based learning.
The general goals of CDP
are to help students develop a positive worker identity; match a
student’s skills, strengths, and interests to a job placement;
and upgrade skills needed for the workplace. In addition, goals
are to empower and motivate students towards a future of successful
employment and self-reliance, provide career exploration and development,
and prepare students for the transition to skilled post-graduate
opportunities.
CDP is a comprehensive school-to-work transition program organized
into developmental phases of employment so that students increase
their levels of independence as they participate in career planning,
the classroom, and real-world employment skills training and community
job placement. Students typically participate in CDP for a period
of one to five years. The phases of CDP move students from simply
exploring the work through on-campus jobs to more intense work-based
learning experiences. These more intense experiences take the students
off campus, placing them in internships in which they work 10-20
hours a week, independently obtain transportation to and from work,
and complete self-evaluations. As students become more independent,
they take part in competitive employment or a career-based internship
for at least six months.
From September 1997 to September 2000, 65 students participated
in CDP. Within a year of graduation, 86 percent of the graduates
were employed, in school, or in a full-time combination of both.
About 91% of employers were satisfied with CDP.
For more information, visit http://www.baycove.org/academy/index.cfm or contact:
Kathleen Pignone
Bay Cove Academy
156 Lawton Street
Brookline, MA 02446
Tel: (617) 739-1794
Fax: (617) 739-2187
E-mail: kpignone@baycove.org
Generac Youth Apprenticeship Program
The Generac Youth Apprenticeship
(YA) Program is a collaborative effort between the Watertown (WI)
Unified School District, Generac Portable Products (a manufacturing
company), and the College of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Since 1996, this collaborative effort has offered an alternative
education program to juniors and seniors with and without disabilities
who were not expected to graduate. The work-based and school-based
learning components of the program both take place at the Generac
manufacturing site. YA students spend 20 hours in apprenticeship
training per week and another 20 hours in classroom learning. Apprentices
experience 6-8 rotations among 14 departments. Each apprentice is
paid a wage for a 40-hour work week and is covered by Generac Portable
Products workers' compensation. The curriculum consists of six articulated
credits that can be applied toward a vocational technical diploma
or degree program.
For more information, contact:
Mary Roche, Manager
Watertown High School/Generac Portable Products Youth Apprenticeship
Program
One Generac Way
Jefferson, WI 53549
Tel: (920) 674-3750 x1572
Fax: (920) 674-5663
E-mail: mroche@gppi.com
Linking Learning to Life
Linking Learning to Life (LLL) is a school-to-career partnership
of the Burlington (VT) School District, the Lake Champlain Regional
Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Vermont. Its mission
is “to improve the educational performance and advancement
and the employment and career prospects of all Burlington students.”
The work-based learning strategies in the program include assisting
students with a wide range of community learning experiences from
employer visits to service learning and long-term internships.
A partnership has been forged with the Vermont Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation to pilot a school vocational rehabilitation counselor
position. This staff member provides intensive transition planning,
work-based learning, job development, and job placement services
to students with disabilities in grades 9-12 and enrolls them in
the vocational rehabilitation system. The counselor also serves
as a connector, helping to bring together classroom teachers, special
educators, parents, and community resources to integrate learning
experiences for students.
In order to help students understand the skills and expectations
of the workforce, LLL places teachers in six-week paid internships
in business during the summer. They develop classroom applications
based on their experiences. This approach has proven to be an invigorating
experience for many teachers, who match their skills and interests
with projects that meet employer needs.
For more information, contact:
Rich Tulikangas, Director
Burlington High School
52 Institute Road
Burlington, VT 05401
Tel: (802) 951-8850
Fax: (802) 951-8851
E-mail: rtulikangas@burlhs.k12.vt.us
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