Work-Based Learning

In 2019, business leaders from across KC’s Northland came together to compare notes on the qualities needed from employees. This discussion evolved into a list of attributes necessary for high school students before they moved onto college, vocational training, the military, or the workforce. The group created a Portrait of a Graduate, citing seven unique qualities a student should possess. These qualities will provide a strong foundation for success in college, career and beyond.

Beginning fall of 2021, NKC Schools students will connect their classroom learning with business partners' work through authentic pathways programs. Each student will engage in a variety of work-based learning experiences over their four years. Students will hear from guest speakers in their chosen industry, have the opportunity to work on real-world client-connected projects, job shadow or intern at a local organization and more. These experiences will build as students gain a deeper understanding of work and industry throughout their years in school. At graduation, all NKC Schools students will graduate with a market-value asset: a certification, experience or industry-recognized credential, giving them an edge over their peers nationwide.

Work-Based Learning Tool Kit

The Work-Based Learning Toolkit of North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways has been formulated to aid school leaders, college and career facilitators, educators, students and partnering intermediaries in crafting, executing, and nurturing effective Work-Based Learning experiences for high school students. This toolkit seamlessly aligns with the domains of College and Career Readiness, serving as a foundational pillar to bolster comprehensive school-wide endeavors that equip students to graduate well-prepared for diverse postsecondary pathways and successful careers

Activities Employers Opportunities/Requests Contact

What is Work-Based Learning?

Work-Based Learning serves as an authentic educational journey, enabling students to delve into their career aspirations, talents, and passions while practically applying their academic and technical expertise in real-world scenarios. Collaboratively designed and supervised by instructional staff in conjunction with business, industry, and community collaborators, these experiences embody the bridge between classroom knowledge and practical application.

Through observation and hands-on involvement, students gain valuable insights and actively contribute to real work environments. Learning directly from industry professionals, either in person or virtually, not only bolsters academic understanding but also fosters the development of versatile skills applicable across various contexts.

A hallmark of high-quality Work-Based Learning lies in its incorporation of virtual dimensions. This encompasses a range of virtual activities across various WBL activity types. Virtual Work-Based Learning Activities are those facilitating live interactions between students and professionals through technology. Additionally, other Virtual Activities, often simulations or online research-based tasks, offer exposure to employers. A hybrid approach combines both virtual and tangible elements for a comprehensive experience.

When venturing into virtual options, prioritizing equitable technology access and fair distribution of opportunities is paramount. This must go hand in hand with establishing necessary permissions, safeguards, and guidance to ensure students' safety and well-being.

Why Work-Based Learning?

Distinguished by its caliber, high-quality Work-Based Learning (WBL) systematically fosters the acquisition of academic, technical, and workplace professionalism skills within students engaged in career-related programs or curricula across North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways. Universally recognized by employers across industries, this triad of skills—academic, technical, and professional—is increasingly imperative for incoming workers, with an accentuated emphasis on core employability skills. To equip students with these proficiencies, authentic workplace engagements assume paramount importance when integrated with academic pursuits, classroom training, and comprehensive college and career readiness initiatives.

A continuum of Work-Based Learning experiences, such as Mock Interviews, Career Days, Workplace Tours, Guest Speaker Sessions, Informational Interviews, Job Shadowing, Work Experience, Career Mentoring, Workplace Challenges, Internships, and Apprenticeships, furnish students with a genuine perspective and a preparatory foundation for their futures. By facilitating authentic workplace encounters and fostering employer involvement within the classroom, the career development process unfolds as an enriching educational venture, amplifying students' learning experiences.

Work-Based Learning activities engage employers not only as partners but also as customers, delivering developmental experiences to students while simultaneously contributing to the cultivation of the future workforce. These immersive opportunities complement in-school classroom activities, enabling students to explore potential career pathways, practice professional skills, and exhibit well-defined work-readiness attributes.

This toolkit has been meticulously crafted to fulfill the imperative of delivering a diverse range of high-quality opportunities to North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathway students. It stands as a comprehensive resource, assisting schools, workforce intermediaries, employer partners, and community collaborators in furnishing educationally enriching and genuinely authentic Work-Based Learning experiences to students.

Benefits of Work-Based Learning

Students

Work-Based Learning acts as a catalyst for students, fostering an acute awareness of potential career avenues within specific industries. This platform facilitates exploration, empowering students to chart their courses and lay the groundwork for their impending futures. By engaging in Work-Based Learning endeavors, students unlock hands-on learning opportunities and cultivate meaningful relationships with accomplished adult mentors from the professional realm.

In the course of these experiences, students amass valuable practical knowledge and forge fundamental employability and vocational skills. These skills are coupled with a deepened understanding of the requisite training or education needed to thrive in specific career domains. Moreover, students gain insights into the tangible real-world applications of their academic pursuits and vocational training, providing answers to the ever-present question, "Why is this learning important?"

Through a seamless amalgamation of diverse workplace encounters, coupled with school-based activities and continuous guidance, students often broaden their horizons beyond immediate job prospects. This holistic approach frequently nurtures their commitment to education, propelling them towards the accomplishment of both personal and career-oriented ambitions.

Employers

Participation in North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways Work-Based Learning presents a powerful avenue for employers to actively contribute to the cultivation and retention of their forthcoming workforce. The growing disparity between industry requirements and emerging workforce skills has prompted employers to seek innovative solutions. By opening their business doors to students and offering valuable Work-Based Learning prospects, employers can not only harness the contributions of industrious students but also gain fresh perspectives on challenges. This setting serves as a prolonged interview context, allowing employers to observe potential future talents while also playing a pivotal role in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. Moreover, students provide a dual benefit by offering access to a customer perspective and valuable insights.

Simultaneously, an employer's current workforce stands to gain from heightened productivity and engagement, with the added potential for cultivating leadership and supervisory competencies among existing staff. This participation becomes a means for companies to invest in local education, fostering a highly skilled and proficient future workforce. Furthermore, it bolsters community awareness of the employer's role within the local economy, serving as a platform for positive public relations outcomes.

Additional details provided on Employer's Page as well.

Schools

Work-Based Learning seamlessly bridges the classroom and workplace, integrating employer volunteers into both the school environment and instructional settings. This approach not only enhances educators' understanding of industry-relevant skills for curriculum integration but also affirms the effectiveness of instructional models. By establishing tangible connections with real-world workplaces, it infuses classroom learning with practical relevance and cultivates valuable community relationships. Furthermore, Work-Based Learning fosters networking avenues and paves the way for future collaborative endeavors with employer partners.

Community

Work-Based Learning activities serve as a vital link between schools, the community, and local economic development initiatives, fostering civic engagement and addressing pressing community needs. Through these activities, students engage in community projects, projecting themselves as active contributors to society. This synergy not only nurtures a more dedicated and efficient workforce but also highlights the joint commitment of schools and employers to empower local residents with opportunities for growth and contribution.

The Continuum

The North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways have established a coherent and progressive sequence of Work-Based Learning activities and experiences that encompass Career Awareness, Career Exploration, and Career Preparation. This progressive journey is realized through a series of work-based classroom engagements, hands-on workplace exposures, and community-based encounters over time. Classroom activities serve as reflective platforms to synthesize workplace and community learning, while workplace experiences synergizes with classroom curricula. In this holistic approach, students receive support, mentorship, and guidance from both educational professionals and industry practitioners, further enriching their learning journey. These experiences are meticulously tailored to match individual student knowledge, skills, and abilities, aligned with their age and developmental stage.

Across their engagement in career-related programs of study, all students within North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways are offered a comprehensive array of opportunities to participate in genuine Work-Based Learning experiences at every tier of the continuum. Employers and community partners contribute WBL experiences that align with their organizational goals, benefiting both their business operations and the holistic growth of students. The Work-Based Learning continuum consists of three distinct levels, each contributing to students' holistic development.

Portrait of a Graduate (Employability Skills)

The North Kansas City Schools College and Career Pathways have outlined a set of crucial elements to facilitate the seamless execution of all Work-Based Learning encounters. Educators and WBL coordinators can employ these elements as guiding principles to guarantee that every activity is not only captivating and enriching but also conducted in a secure and conducive learning environment.