Students at John F. Kennedy High School are getting a jump start on their futures through a diverse array of work study programs.
As a choice school for career and technical education, JFK prides itself on connecting students with a network of local employers who provide internships and externships for potential recruits. One such program is the Bridges the Healthcare cohort, which allows students interested in careers in medicine to work in paid internships alongside healthcare professionals at nearby hospitals.
Novant Health sponsors Bridges to Healthcare as a means of “closing the skills gap” by getting future doctors, nurses, and more the hands-on experience they need to perform well in their jobs at an earlier point in their education. According to students who have started their cohort this year, the difference between working in the field and what they’ve learned in class is palpable.
“You get to see a lot more than when you’re just watching videos or reading books in class,” said JFK Senior Heidy Hernandez. “I’ve gotten to touch a lot of cool stuff for the first time.”
JFK’s internship and externship programs also extend to local masons, HVAC technicians, pharmacies, restaurants, hotels, and more. Whatever a student’s plan is for after graduation, there’s a professional in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County with something to teach them, and their school is dedicated to connecting them with those opportunities.
November is the Association of Career and Technical Education’s National CTE Month, sponsored by the National Association of Homebuilders and recognized by the State of North Carolina. In a November 12 release, Governor Roy Cooper lauded the state’s public school career development coordinators and CTE programs as key resources for preparing students to contribute to the workforce.
“Through career development education, CTE students gain critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, leadership, and essential employability skills necessary to thrive in the modern business world and contribute to the vitality of our state and nation,” reads the release.
Work study programs also go beyond developing CTE-specific skills at JFK. Many of their students work with Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. as part of their ASPIRE WS program, which takes a holistic approach to career readiness. Juniors and seniors from Title I schools attend five two-hour sessions over the course of two weeks and practice financial literacy, professional dress etiquette, and interview skills, all while earning a stipend for their efforts.
ASPIRE WS is a valuable networking opportunity that connects students with employers like Novant, Atrium Health, Forsyth Technical Community College, and their city and county government offices. It’s also a place where students learn to advocate for themselves and start making plans for their future based on what’s important to them.
“It changes their whole outlook on education, both post-secondary and even just finishing high school,” said Alesia Hilton, Director of Career Readiness for Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. “It’s a big help when they’re figuring out what they want to do.”
JFK Career Development Coordinator Deborah Cochran says that sense of preparedness is the ultimate goal of the school’s work study programs. Many students who take internships and externships practice skills they’ll use every day in their careers, but others simply learn that they don’t actually want to do what they thought they did, and that’s a valuable lesson as well. What matters most is that they come away from the experience with a greater sense of understanding and confidence.
“We want them to get in there and ask themselves, ‘can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life?’,” Cochran said. “Especially for the seniors, it’s important for them to be thinking about that.”
