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Program aims to help students make transition to work |
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Monday, December 15 2008 |
By BECKY HAND
Community editor
When a student graduates high school and looks for a job, many times they are at a loss as to where to go and what to do.
Many employers want people with some experience. How can one gain experience without a job?
Passages, Inc. in Columbia City is working to fill a need in the community with their Life After School program, a School-to-Work Transition Program.
Students are referred by teachers to the program, and transitional support persons in each school help find work and possibly financial support for these students.
The program has been in place at Columbia City High School and Smith-Green schools for two years, and this year began at Whitko.
As a junior, a student may work at gaining employment skills on-site, working in the library, nurse’s office, cafeteria, etc. at the school. Then as a senior, they may progress to working off-site for two or more hours a day, exploring job opportunities.
Some students may do some job-shadowing to see what is available in the community.
At the end of the program, each student should have a resume, a completed portfolio, and a personality profile to aid them in their search for employment.
Other assistance comes from benefits counseling. Many of these students are eligible for aid, but are unaware of it, or don’t know how to go about acquiring the help they need.
“The school’s are very receptive to the program,” says Alice Anderson, vice president of Passages, Inc., “and the partnership has been very beneficial (to the students).”
Thirty students have been helped so far in the two-year-old program, and transitional support coordinators Jeff Davis and Donna Miller hope to help 30 more this year alone.
Some businesses which participate by offering volunteer work for the students are Ace Hardware, Hinen Printing and Peabody Public Library. Any other businesses willing to participate or families wanting more information about the Life After School program should contact one of the transitional support coordinators: Dean Kincaid at (260)244-7688 ext. 144; Jeff Davis at ext. 125; or Donna Miller at ext. 158.
Passages, Inc. is a United Way Agency located at 107 N. Walnut St. in Columbia City. Visit their Web site at www.passagesinc.org.
E-mail Becky Hand, Community editor at
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, December 16 2008 )
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