Career and Technical Education

eCTE Career Exploration

Career Awareness

Career Awareness Standards

    Responsibilities of Parents in WBL

    Parents remain the number one influence on young people. Therefore, if a work-based program is to reach all students, parents must recognize its value to their own children and be willing to encourage participation. Since many work-based experiences occur off school premises or outside of normal school hours, parents must be willing to assume a portion of the responsibility for their children’s participation, including risks associated with transportation and indirectly monitored activities.


    Parents Role:

    Responsibilities of Businesses Participating in WBL

    The best partnerships require planning, commitment, energy, and patience. They require serious focus and a defined purpose. Partnerships are worth the effort, but they require an understanding of the different business and industry cultures, including perception and valuation of time, measures of success, comfort with the work/school environment, planning/management skills, market orientation, scheduling priorities, reward structure, and an understanding of working with youth.

    Responsibilities of the WBL Coordinator (Coop, DCE, Internships)

     

    All parties must be prepared to discuss productivity, compensation, and learning. The planning and management of the experience is critical to the success of the work-based learning. 

    Develop a Checklist

    Checklist items beneficial to setting up a successful internship might include:

    • arranging meeting times
    • planning with program coordinator to ensure that academic requirements are met
    • signing structured training agreements and training plans
    • arranging student work space
    • informing students about company policies and procedures

    Suggestions for Industry Instructions and Activities

    Worksite supervisors may be unaccustomed to the unique challenges of communicating and working with young people.

    They may be faced with student attitudes and expectations that may seem unrealistic in the workplace.

    Discuss possible scenarios with worksite supervisors and encourage them to provide as many active learning experiences as possible.

    Activity suggestions

    Overview of Legal Responsibilities

    Worksite supervisors need to be aware of legal issues related to a work-based learning experience.

    These include safety, child labor, discrimination, and sexual harassment laws.

    The WBL coordinator must ensure that worksite supervisors understand their legal responsibilities and potential liabilities in advance.

    For unpaid work experiences, all parties must be aware of federal guidelines related to unpaid work experience. Please see the resources button on the Internship page. 

    WBL Primary Goal

    The primary goal of WBL is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom and the application of practical skills and knowledge required in the workforce.

    Work Based Learning Experiences cannot replace the Carnegie Units of credit needed for the program sequence.

     

     

    WBL Experiences Must: