Business and education collaborate for student job shadows

Santa Barbara Partners In Education will host a Job Shadow Kickoff Breakfast on Dec. 2 at Earl Warren Showgrounds for staff of local school districts and businesses across the south coast to provide job shadow opportunities for students. In conjunction with the National Groundhog Job Shadow Initiative, the local partnership will kick off Job Shadow 2006, a yearlong initiative to host students in the workplace.

“Across the country, job shadows have proven to be an effective way to motivate students by showing them how academics are applied to the workplace,” said Art Fisher, Director of Partners In Education. “It is also a great way for businesses to introduce students to their industry.”

“We are delighted to be a part of this initiative,” said Brian Sarvis, superintendent of Santa Barbara School Districts. “We hope the alliances formed with local businesses will open doors to some wonderful opportunities for our students.”

ABOUT THE NATIONAL JOB SHADOW INITIATIVE

National Groundhog Job Shadow is a coordinated effort of America's Promise, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education. ING is the national title sponsor of the initiative. Nelnet and Valpak are national co-sponsors.

The annual initiative, designed to give students the opportunity to "shadow" a workplace mentor, traditionally kicked off on Groundhog Day in February each year. Since Job Shadows have gained wide popularity with business and education partnerships, the National Job Shadow Coalition is encouraging schools and businesses to offer students job shadow opportunities throughout the year. More information about Job Shadow 2006 is available at www.jobshadow.org. Local information is available at the Partners in Education website at www.partnerssb.org.

Further information about the partnership and ways to become involved are available by contacting Art Fisher at the Santa Barbara County Education Office, 964-4711, ext. 4400.