Work-Based Learning
Career Experiences for Every Student
Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an educational strategy that provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply academic and technical skills to develop their employability. WBL programs are targeted to bridge the gap between the learning and the doing. The Work-Based Learning continuum provides career awareness, career exploration, and career immersion opportunities across middle and high school grade bands.
Learning About Work
Career Awareness
Grades 6-12
Students interact with industry partners from a variety of career fields. This interaction is designed to broaden student awareness to a spectrum of occupations, while sparking student thought about post-secondary opportunities and goals.
Experiences May Include:
Career Fairs
Guest Speakers
Volunteerism
Workplace Tours
Learning Through Work
Career Exploration
Grades 10-12
Students actively assess and build upon their emerging talents and competencies while navigating career interests. They begin to develop career-specific skills necessary for in-depth work-based learning, in their chosen pathway, and continue to evaluate post-secondary opportunities and goals.
Experiences May Include:
Industry Mentored Project
Informational Interview
Job Shadowing
Mentorship
Learning For Work
Career Immersion
Grade 12
Students attain college and career readiness through practical application of learning in pathway-chosen industry immersions. While demonstrating knowledge and career-specific skills, students develop effective, collaborative relationships within diverse teams of colleagues and clients. Through this continuum, students are also afforded the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications, where applicable.
Experiences May Include:
Internships
Practicum Experiences
Service Learning
Student-run Enterprises
More About WBL
WHAT IS WORK-BASED LEARNING?
Work-Based Learning provides a combination of school and workplace learning with local employers.
Students either work off-site at an employer's location, or employers come on-site to the classroom.
Students learn first-hand how to succeed in the workforce, learning what it takes to be successful while gaining both an education and valuable technical skills in their chosen pathway.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
More than ever before, students need to know how their classroom experiences translate to the real world.
It is essential to teach the "why" in the classroom and how it transitions to the workplace.
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Students not only learn industry-specific technical skills, but professional skills valued by employers, such as collaboration, communication, resilience, teamwork, and work-ethic.
WBL Experiences in Action
LAUNCH
Grades K-5
Coming Soon!
AWARENESS
Grades 6-12
Workplace Tours
Guest Speakers
Career Fair
Career and Technical Student Orgainizations
Volunteerism
EXPLORATION
Grades 10-12
Industry mentored project
Information interview
Job Shadow
Mentorship
Service Learning
IMMERSION
Grade 12
Industry Mentored Project
Internship
Practicum
Student-run enterprise with industry partnership
Service-learning