School to Work

"Our country's future success is dependent upon the sharing of our time and knowledge with the generations that will lead us." ~Theodore Roosevelt

School to Work...Workforce Development...
Our future depends on it!
The Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce is aware of the concerns of the business community regarding the quality of our future workforce. Our future computer programmers, managers, sales reps, technicians and administrative assistants are in school today. In a few years these students will be working in our community in both the private and public sector. If you could talk to them now, what would you tell them?

You would tell them it is important to learn critical thinking skills, develop a strong work ethic and work well with others. You would show them how and why basic skills such as English, math and science are used in the 'real world.' Below are some examples of how you can become involved in shaping the future of our workforce:

Job Shadow
This gives a student an inside look at your job and company. It exposes the student to a business environment and basic workplace skills through observation. (3 hour investment)

Site Visit
Do you have to "see it to believe it"? That's how most of us learn. Similar to a field trip, site visits provide a tour of your worksite to a class of eager students. (1-2 hour investment)

Internship
A great opportunity for a student to "learn while doing". Students work on specific tasks in your business on a regular basis that are directly related to classroom studies. (24-40 hour investment)

These are only a few examples of ways you can make a difference, the opportunities are only limited by your imagination! If you are interested in learning more about School to Work, we would love to talk with you. Please contact us at 503.648.1102.

Oregon has set its sights on creating a workforce equal to any in the world by 2010. To help achieve this vision in communities across Oregon, businesses and schools are teaming up to connect the classroom with today's workplace.

Volunteer Education Partners give students a first hand look at a specific career field, what skills are needed and what employers expect from them. These volunteer experiences (i.e. job shadows, guest speaking, internships) are called Career Related Learning Experiences (CRLE's).

As a Volunteer Education Partner you help:

• Prepare productive, responsible and flexible workers.
• Contribute to the economic future of your business and community.
• Provide motivation for students by helping them see the relevancy of their classroom academics.
• Students learn basic work ethics and skills that are necessary and transferable to any workplace (i.e. teamwork, communication).

It's quick and easy to volunteer. Call now and the Hillsboro Chamber's School-to-Work department will use this information to match interested students in local high schools.