Community-based learning

Benefits of involving yourself

-         Use of school knowledge in a real-life setting

-         Increasing your network of contacts

-         Opportunities for employment (part-time, summer)

-         Development of employability skills and confidence

-         A smoother transition from high school to work

Different kinds of opportunities

-         Co-op education

-         Job shadowing

-         Community involvement and volunteering

-         Work experience programs

-         School-to-work transition programs

Co-op

Co-op is a two credit course, usually taken in 11 and 12, that allows you to link your subjects to careers. Co-op provides you invaluable work experience while you earn credits toward your high school diploma.

Reasons to take one co-op course

-         Provides you with an opportunity to explore a career in depth

-         Allows you to apply what you have been taught in class to the workplace

-         Gives you a chance to widen your network of contacts

-         Leads to part-time employment

Job Twinning

It is a co-op course. Job Twinning is an opportunity to be paired with a fellow co-op student for another workplace experience, usually just for one half day.

Benefits of learning outside the classroom

-         Bring relevance to your high school subjects

-         Allow you to cope better with school, giving you breaks from school routine

-         Keep you in school and motivate you to graduate

-         Help you look forward to the future

Job shadowing

Job shadowing is a pairing with an employee at the work site for a day or a half day. It allows you to follow in the shadow of a mentor in the job you wish pursue in the future. Job shadowing are short visits to the workplace and allow more than one placement in a school year.

Advantages versus co-op

-         Allows you to observe a typical day or half-day on the job

-         A simple, quick way to gain insight into careers

-         Gives you first hand-knowledge of what the job involves

Volunteering

You have to complete 40 hours of community service before you graduate from secondary school. It is a way to donate your free time for work experience, new skills, new friends, and possible employment opportunities.

Reasons

-         Benefiting your community

-         Expanding your network of contacts

-         Gaining work experience

-         Learning new skills

-         Exploring career options

-         Adding to your list of references

-         Improving your qualifications

-         Increasing self-confidence

Some places you can volunteer

-         Fundraising for charitable purposes

-         Assisting elementary school

-         Performing school community service

-         Serving church groups

-         Helping in shelters and soup kitchens

-         With senior citizens

-         Coaching community sports

-         Helping with environmental projects