School-To-Career at Trumbull High School

The School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994 was responsible for initiating programs to prepare students for life after high school. These programs support coursework, career fairs, mentoring, jobshadowing, and internships. This allows students to see the connection between the "real world" and what they are learning in school. In Connecticut, we use the term school-to-career in an effort to gain support from both the teaching staff and the community. School-to-career benefits students of all abilities. These programs help students to choose majors and concentrate their studies in college. Teaching work-related values from elementary school serves children well in their jobs as students. Their values include: the importance of attendance, teamwork and responsibility.

The Trumbull Schools, in partnership with town government and local businesses, have joined in an effort to offer School-to-Career Programs designed to help students understand the relationship between the classroom and the world of work. Teachers have revised curriculum in order to include classroom activities that help to develop the skills necessary for successful and rewarding employment. School-to-Career combines the concept of high academic standards, real-life curriculum and work-based learning experiences to prepare our students for the challenges of living and working in today's competitive, technology driven environment.

The journey of career exploration begins for each student when they enter the Middle Schools. Counselors assist each sixth grade student to establish an individual career portfolio used to record personal career data. The information gathered from career development experiences over the next seven years becomes an invaluable resource in determining future educational and career goals. Activities available to students include internships and job shadowing experiences, allowing students the opportunity to earn a career certificate signifying mastery in one of the eight career clusters.

The overall goal of the School-to-Career effort has been to provide sequential experiences designed to help students realize that success in today's global economy requires ongoing career planning and life-long learning.

The measure of the success of this six-year initiative can be observed in the increased percent of students graduating with definite post high school educational and career plans. Town/business leaders, school personnel, parents, and especially students should review the Seven Year Graduation Data with a sense of pride and accomplishment.