Work-Based Learning Experiences (WBLEs) provide so many beneficial opportunities for students as we have outlined in other resources for this lesson. In order to optimize these benefits, providers must be able to give their students proper supports. WBLEs are best supported by provider created activities. Some students will require individualization and supports to be successful.
Here are some examples of activities and supportive exercises to consider with your students:
Group Activities
- School-based job training experiences
- Simulated workplace opportunities
- Touring businesses to learn about job skills
- Research business
- Research career related competitions
- Explore career videos
- Career One Stop videos (hyper link)
- com (hyper link) (there is a fee)
- KQED Career Path Videos (hyper link)
- Use Google Expeditions to create your own virtual field trip
- Coordinating informational interviews for students to research potential employers
- Create lists of questions for business or employer
- Explore and interview individual about how to find a fulfilling career
- Road Trip Nation (hyper link)
- Brainstorm ideas for a school-based enterprise (SBE)
- Visit another school in the district that has an SBE
- Virtual interview with students who are working at an SBE
Individual Activities
- Engaging the student in job shadowing experiences
- Support students in connecting to professionals via phone or email
- Create a preparation checklist for the job shadow experience
- Exploring salary and earnings potential for entry-level positions
- Create a salary comparison sheet for jobs of interest
- Career index plus (TCI+) (hyper link)
- Conducting an evaluation with the student to understand their successes and challenges they may be encountering at the WBL site
- Set a regular time to debrief on the challenges and successes that the student is experiencing.
- This can be done through a verbal discussion or in written format.
- Investigating school sponsored service learning or volunteering opportunities
- Schools often hold one day events for student participation on and around the holidays
School Based Learning
- Identifying the skills needed for the job
- Students can create a skills checklist
- Students can make a presentation about the job
- Identifying employment goals of a student
- Develop SMART goals that align with employment goals
- Create documents for student’s career portfolio
- T-Folio is a free portfolio tool
- Practicing interview skills/ mock interviews
- Students write out answers to possible interview questions
- Set-up peer interviewing practice
- Encourage other school personnel to engage in mock interview sessions with students
- Learning how to make professional contacts (networking)
- Instruction on how to fill out a job application
