School-to-Work is....

A system built with partnerships to provide opportunities for students to learn about and experience work while in school.

Educational Reform that addresses the need for students to gain work experience and workplace skills while in school.

Partnerships between schools, employers and communities.

For all students, kindergarten through 12th grade.

School-to-Work is an umbrella term for many activities, experiences and opportunities that prepare students for the world of work. Some noted examples of School-to-Work activities are Youth Apprenticeship, Mentorship, Internship, Job Shadowing, Career Exploration, and Integration of Academic and Vocational curriculum.

A system

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) of 1994 describes an educational system that provides career awareness, career exploration and career preparation. For example, a school-to-work system could coordinate school-to-work programs for an entire state or a system could be found in a school district, coordinating activities for its students from elementary school through high school.

Partnerships

School-to-Work is a collaborative effort amongst schools, employers and the community. These partnerships are essential to providing a variety of work and school opportunities, up-to-date resources and hands-on experiences. Connections are made, such as area business participation in elementary school mentorships to high school/community college collaborative programs.

Educational Reform

School-to-Work is a movement supported by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, Federal legislation of both the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. It is part of a broader, national movement for educational reform, which also includes Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the National Skill Standards Act of 1994. The STWOA provides states and localities with the opportunity to access federal funds to develop and establish statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems.

For all students

School-to-work activities begin in kindergarten and continue through 12th grade. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 makes specific reference to students with disabilities, individuals from minority groups and women, recognizing the importance of including these individuals in school to work initiatives by increasing opportunities for them in School-to-Work initiatives by increasing opportunities for them to prepare for careers that are not traditional for their race, gender or disability.


Basic Elements of School-to-Work
School-based Learning
Instruction and experiences based on academic and occupational skill standards.		 Work-based Learning
Workplace experience, structured training, mentoring and apprenticeships at job sites.
Connecting Activities
A variety of activities that build and maintain bridges between school, work and other adult environments.

This factsheet was generated by the School-to-Work Outreach Project at the Institute on Community Integration (UAP), University of Minnesota, 101D Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. The development and dissemination of these profiles was supported in part by grant #H029B30142 from the U.S. Department of Education.


Back to the STW Outreach Project Home Page.

URL: www.ici.coled.umn.edu/schooltowork/factsheet.html
Last updated January 23, 1998