Planning a worksite tour or field trip is a great activity for students exploring careers of interest. Keep in mind that organizing and implementing a worksite tour requires communication, collaboration, and providing support and guidance to the business. Below you will find an outline of the major components to consider when coordinating a worksite tour or field trip.
- Identify the rules and regulations of the school district for off-site excursions
- Inquire each year if any of the policies have changed or been modified
- Ensure the safety of the students is by far the most important consideration
- Be aware of time constraints regarding requests for off-site excursions and the support staff required for the event
- Discuss with school personnel the best days and times for students to be off-campus
- Set up early in the planning process to avoid conflicts with other school activities
- Identify two or three available dates to discuss with the business for the tour
- Identify businesses or companies willing to conduct worksite tours
- Utilize your contacts and connections
- Determine whether there are natural resources within the community
- Parents
- Local Organizations: Lions Club, Rotary Club, etc.
- Local Businesses: Chamber of Commerce, local chapters of federal agencies
- Coordinate the details of the visit with businesses
- Set up a pre-tour meeting to gain first-hand experience of the business and discuss the event.
- Be clear about the objectives and vision for the tour and make sure the employers agree
- Create a schedule for the visit
- What types of information employers should share with the students
- Seek any additional ideas or input the business has about what to include in the tour
- Support the business in creating a plan for the tour
- Explain that the students want to observe employees engaging in a typical workday such as:
- How do they start their day, are there morning tasks and afternoon tasks?
- How do they start their day and manage their time? Do they complete the same job every day? Or do their assignments change frequently?
- How do they spend break time? What does a meal break look like?
- How are group projects assigned?
- Explain various job positions and employee roles within the company
- Share format expectation: presentations, physical tour, question and answer portions
- Explain that the students want to observe employees engaging in a typical workday such as:
- Arrange for off-site transportation
- Can the school provide transportation?
- Is public transportation available?
- Assist students in notifying teachers of their upcoming absence
- Plan in advance. Review policy for absences with students
- Support students in developing a plan for class work that needs to be made up
- Encourage responsibility and accountability with the students
- Obtain parent/guardian permission forms
- Provide relevant information to parents
- Review and plan for the accommodations and medical needs of students
- What can the business do to ensure accessibility?
- What are the individualized needs of students who will be attending this tour?
- Are there important sensory issues to be considered?
- Is more support staff needed to ensure students’ needs are met?
- Assign students to worksite tours based on their career interests
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- Review students’ self-assessments or career interest surveys
- Prepare students for worksite tours
- Conduct background research on the business with students
- Go over expectations
- Schedule
- Dress code
- Behavior
- Transportation
- Brainstorm questions with the students to ask the business
- Follow-up to reinforce and connect the experience to academic content
- Provide opportunities for reflection on experiences
- Promote self-reflection and assess the experience
- Create small projects using the information learned on the tour. Examples include:
- PowerPoint or visual presentation on the highlights of the tour
- Drawings of the business process
- Infographic on the workplace and their key services
- Research on local companies in the same industry
- Provide opportunities for reflection on experiences