National Job Shadow Day

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

 

 

On Tuesday, February 5, 2008 the ValleyWorks Career Center (VWCC) participated in Job Shadow Day which is designated as a day for students across the nation to shadow business professionals, providing a deeper understanding of the workplace.  The goals of the event are to:

 

• Demonstrate a connection between academics and careers, making class work more relevant;
• Build community partnerships between schools and businesses;
• Introduce students to the requirements of professions and industries to help them prepare to join the workforce, and;
• Create meaningful mentorship’s, providing productive role models that positively impact students.

 

Employers participating in Job Shadow Day benefit in many ways:

 

• Educates students on day-to-day challenges and rewards of an industry or workplace;
• Reinforce the need for academic performance for workplace success, and;
• Shape a more qualified future workforce.

 

Job Shadow Day began in 1998 to encourage young people to participate in their desired future career or interest and “shadow” a mentor as they go through their daily job routine.

 

Seventy-five (75) students from Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen had an opportunity to observe their future career interests up close as well as being provided a better understanding of the workplace.  The schools that participated were Lawrence High School, Methuen High School, Haverhill High School, Diploma Plus and Greater Lawrence Education Collaborative.  The students gained a better understanding of the need for academic performances for workplace success and reinforced their interest in the career which they job shadowed.

 

Over thirty eight (38) employers participated in the event.  There were a variety of opportunities for the youth to experience.

 

The area hospitals placed youth in surgical day care, maternity, radiology and emergency positions.  Some of the youth that shadowed are interested in applying for volunteer positions at the hospitals.

 

Chesterton accepted eight students to shadow various professionals who worked in design, environmental and mechanical engineering.

 

Trinity EMS services provided youth an opportunity to observe the inside duties of the EMS services.  The students also rode in an ambulance.  One (1) of the students who has interests in the Marines after graduation was encouraged to look into being an emergency helicopter pilot after his service ends because of his interest in what he observed on Job Shadow Day.

 

Northern Essex Community College provided students and opportunity to Job Shadow jobs in education and criminal justice.

 

The Haverhill Gazette had students tour each department in their organization and learn more about newspaper and writing careers.  They also went on location with a reporter who was conducting exit polling.  The youth were also given the opportunity to assist the reporter by asking their own questions to people and jot down their conversations in a notepad.

 

Mayor James J. Fiorentini mentored a youth who is interested in becoming involved in politics.  The youth accompanied the Mayor to the polls on Super Tuesday, delivering food to poll workers, as well as shadowed the daily schedule of the Mayor’s official duties.

 

These are just a few of the stories that occurred on Job Shadow Day 2008.

 

Some of the students have become inspired to attend college after observing people in the workplace.  They learned that their career goal requires hard work and usually some form of higher education.  They also gained a firsthand understanding of the relevance of academics to the professional world.

 

For more information on Job Shadow Day 2008 or future events please contact Megan Shea, Youth Director.

For questions or comments regarding this website please contact David Lubell at dlubell@detma.org