Connecting Learning to Earning through Work-Based Learning Experiences.

Katy Stokes, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS).

Katy Stokes, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS).

Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS) is committed to preparing its students to be “life-ready” through Work-Based Learning (WBL) initiatives. Our motto in CCPS is “If a student was to be a ____; (whatever the ____ is ex. cosmetologist, accountant, engineer) We want them to have an experience as a ____.” We want our students to have multiple experiences in career areas that they are interested in and align with their program of study to assist them in affirming their career pathways.

Work-Based Learning is defined as a continuum of experiences for students to apply their knowledge, interests, and skills through school-coordinated and supervised experiences directly related to their career goals. Work-Based Learning encompasses career awareness, exploration, and preparation that allows students to have multiple touch points along the Work-Based Learning continuum to affirm their career pathways. Work-Based Learning prepares students for the workplace by connecting them with an aligned program of study where students have expressed a career interest which provides real-world experiences in their chosen career field. Work-Based Learning ranges from low-intensive experiences like guest speakers, interviews, workplace tours and job shadowing, which then leads to a more in-depth or higher intensive WBL experience like externships, internships, clinical experiences, and cooperative education. WBL has grown to be an important component of education practices globally and is garnering focus on how it ties the importance of connecting students’ academics to their career plans/goals.

Work-Based Learning ties directly to a student’s academic and career plans. Students assess and drive their post-secondary goals through multiple experiences throughout their lives. By connecting the purpose with the reasoning for students, they can see the value in the experiences. Evaluating educational methods, providing resources, and surveying all stakeholders to assess effectiveness during the continuum of the student’s academics and WBL experiences will provide a holistic view of how connecting learning to earning can create better pathways that meet our students’ goals and workforce needs.

Students should be exposed to all 17 career clusters and the variety of career options that include all levels of education and training. This begins in elementary school with career awareness through guest speakers and career fairs, in middle school they will start to understand their learning style and career interests in greater depth by exploration, and in high school they create a career plan and participate in hands-on preparation activities to gain firsthand experience of what a career is like. In CCPS we use a digital platform that allows our students to assess their interests and learning styles, explore careers aligned to their interests and skills, engage in course planning, and search for Work-Based Learning opportunities that align with their expressed interests. The platform updates in real-time continuously to provide the most accurate information to all stakeholders. The platform is accessible to all students enrolled in 5th grade and beyond in CCPS. It is a one-stop app for all students to utilize during their academic years to help build a pathway for students to understand the importance of their courses and how they connect to future careers. The platform allows all stakeholders to have access in some capacity as students can engage in the platform, teachers and counselors can access lessons and provide resources to students in the platform, parents and families can assist and review the platform, and business partners can connect with students through the Work-Based Learning component in the platform. This digital platform can be transformative for students as it provides a holistic view of how academics connect to careers and post-secondary goals with support along the way to assist students in driving their future choices.

“Students assess and drive their post-secondary goals through multiple experiences throughout their lives. By connecting the purpose with the reasoning for students, they can see the value in the experiences.”

Students, employer partners, and school divisions all gain from the practice of Work-Based Learning. By collaborating to create a Work-Based Learning model that is sustainable for all stakeholders, students can apply academics and skills while developing employment acumen and fostering workplace relationships to be well-oriented for post-secondary education and employment choices. The advantages for employer partners include producing potential, skilled, and highly motivated future employees while fostering meaningful relationships. The advantages of education include expanding curriculum standards and learning environments; raising the skills of graduates to be life ready, and keeping up with the most recent technological advancements and workplace approaches.

All middle and high schools in Chesterfield County are supported by Career Experience Consultants, (CEC), whose primary role is to coach teachers on how to facilitate Work-Based Learning for all students and make connections with local employers. During the 2021-22 school year, the Work-Based Learning program in CCPS had 11,803 experiences completed by students in all 11 high schools and 13 middle schools. CCPS reported more work-based learning experiences to the Virginia Department of Education than any other school system in 2021-22.

CCPS is dedicated to having all students have multiple Work-Based Learning experiences to affirm their career pathways and for students to be able to answer these three essential questions before leaving CCPS: “Know who you are, Where you are going, and Why you are going there”