NEWS RELEASE
February 2009
Groundhog Day Launches Job Shadow 2009
Mentoring boosts student career exploration
Shadows will be out and about this week as students and businesses kick off Job Shadow 2009. Once celebrated as Groundhog Job Shadow Day, this event now launches a yearlong initiative to expose students to the “real world” of careers.
“Students of all ages, particularly those in middle school and high school, need early career exploration opportunities,” said Tom Quinn, assistant commissioner of career education for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). “Job shadowing is an excellent way for students to learn what it takes to succeed in careers that interest them.”
Job Shadow 2009 is sponsored by the National Job Shadow Coalition, which includes America’s Promise, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. More than 1 million students and 100,000 businesses across the nation will participate in Job Shadow 2009, according to the coalition’s Web site at www.JobShadow.org.
Getting students enthused about their futures is a powerful motivator for success in school, Quinn said. “Students gain new appreciation for their education when they see skills and lessons applied in the workplace,” he said.
“Career development is not an event but a lifetime process and should be an integral part of the instructional programs in our schools,” added Dr. Bragg Stanley, director of guidance and placement at DESE. “Age-appropriate experiences such as job shadowing help students become successful managers of their own educational and career plans.”
Junior Achievement, a not-for-profit that promotes work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy among students, administers job shadow programs from its St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield offices.
“Job shadowing offers just the kind of experience Junior Achievement wants to give students,” said Meredith Knopp, senior vice present of Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley in the St. Louis area. “It lets students see how their natural strengths and interests can translate to a career. It also exposes them to the importance of ‘soft skills,’ such as good communication skills and teamwork.”
Many job shadowing programs are conducted through schools with local chambers of commerce. Job shadow experiences can also be arranged by parents, school counselors, school programs, classes or community organizations.
In Eureka, Rockwood School District partners with four local chambers of commerce and many other St. Louis businesses to offer juniors a job shadow experience. The program benefits both students and businesses, said Kim Litzau, the district’s Partners in Education supervisor.
“Businesses, both large and small, want to be more involved in the educational process,” she said. “Spending time with students helps them to recruit employees and also gives them insight into the curriculum we have at Rockwood.”
Students, meanwhile, get to explore an option without making a commitment, Litzau said, adding it’s a lot better for students to realize a career is not for them in high school than in college after they are invested in a major.
“Probably the most important measure of success that we have seen is an increase in the number of students signing up for the program every year,” Litzau said. “We have anecdotal evidence of students getting summer jobs, and coming back after college for careers. Many partners are also willing to write letters of reference and to serve as mentors for the students.”
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Junior Achievement – Ozarks District and the Southwest Area Human Resources Association, is another job shadow supporter.
“Through job shadowing, the Springfield Chamber is helping to develop the future workforce by helping students learn more about the opportunities in the Springfield area and what it takes to achieve their goals,” said Kristen Westerman, the chamber’s manager of workforce and business development. “Area businesses are always looking for ways to help students become interested in new career prospects, especially those industries that are suffering from lack of new people, and the job shadow program gives them that chance.”
Schools and businesses that want to offer Job Shadow 2009 events in their communities can find resources on the National Job Shadow Coalition site, www.JobShadow.org, as well as on the site of coalition member Junior Achievement, www.JA.org.
“Groundhog Job Shadow Day is a good reminder of the value of job shadow experiences,” Quinn said, “but any time is a good time for students to job shadow.”
To learn more about education and career planning, visit the DESE-sponsored site www.MissouriConnections.org.