This school year, STC will focus on the development of business and education partnerships designed to improve student achievement and the quality of the region's future labor force. We have become a one-stop point of contact for business people wanting to support the educational process as well as for educators wanting to connect with the business community. The program allows students to take a pre-approved work permit application from school to their prospective employer at the time of the job interview. Through schools and employers working together to institute the Reference to Work program, students will understand that performance in school counts, and the hiring process will be simplified and expedited for our business community. The JA program has been running on a small scale in the county for several years and STC has been developing a working relationship with both the JA office in Sacramento and the national office in Colorado for about a year and a half.
Students also gain an awareness and knowledge of the U.S. free enterprise system.
This month, STC plans to provide training for all newly recruited volunteers, who spend about an hour a week in the classroom, and the teachers who will host them so programs can begin at selected schools this fall. Last year's event hosted 1,800 eighth grade students from seventeen schools in the north state. College students actively engage eighth graders in activities and demonstrations in each department on the college campus so participants can gain an awareness of college programs and a realization that college is an obtainable goal for them. Businesses and agencies can host students for half-day job shadow experiences so that students can observe and learn how skills acquired in school are applied in the workplace of their chosen career field. We guarantee email addresses are kept confidential.