Dane County area high schools, along with area businesses and industries, have partnered to provide a wide range of opportunities for youth to get involved in the school to work opportunities.  Wisconsin's initiatives in School to Work in the early nineties was designed to enable youth, including those planning on going to college, to identify and travel paths to rewarding roles in the workplace.

School-to-Work

School-to-Work is the educational reform movement in America driven by Business and Industry to provide the training required for a highly skilled workforce for the 21st century.  To be competitive, business and industry must have the skilled workforce to compete in the global economy.  School-to-Work has three components:  a school-based component, a work-based component, and a connecting activities component.

School-Based Component

Schools are providing new educational opportunities K-12.  More assistance is given to students to promote career awareness and exploration which connects learning to the job world.  Academic curriculum is tying in to "real-world" experiences which help students appreciate the education they are learning.  Wisconsin's career guidance model is being expanded to help guidance counselors understand their role in preparing students for their future careers.

Work-Based Component

The work-based component give students in high school the opportunity to see first hand experiences on the job.  In a work-based learning setting, students are able to explore a career path they are interested in pursuing, or to learn which career paths they are not interested in.  Work-based learning should reinforce the connection between academic learning and what they are learning on the job.  The work-based learning component shoud motivate future learning, and provide real exposure to the demands of today's workplace. 

Connecting Activities

Connecting activities provide the links between schools and employers.  They include matching students with work-based opportunities, providing school site coordinators/mentors for each student, establishing links with other community services and evaluating the effectiveness of both school and work-based learning programs.