STW Alliance - Examples of our Work

Examples of our Work

The Problem: Many school and business leaders struggle with how to recruit and cultivate school-business partners, and how to forge longer-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

The Solution: Specialized tools and resources that increase a school's own capacity to develop and sustain effective school-business partnerships.

Our Role: The STW Alliance created and published An Activity Based Strategy for Building Effective School-Business Partnerships and Advisory Councils, a workbook to help schools and companies address partnership development, and a training series, which prepares educators and business representatives to use the workbook as a tool to develop effective school-business partnerships. The STW Alliance also offers regularly scheduled network support groups for participants to share effective partnership practices, successes and challenges.

Outcomes: Educators are creating planning groups with school and community members, and together are developing partnership goals and activities. Through recent trainings and partnership activities, participants are learning about the positive impact a school-business partnership can have on students' career exploration and development.

The Problem: Teachers and administrators have limited knowledge of the skills and competencies required for success in the workplace of the 21st century. Without exposure to the business world it becomes difficult for educators to make connections for their students between the New York State Learning Standards, which all students must now master in order to earn a high school diploma, and future career goals.

The Solution: A two-week summer professional development institute for high school teachers that included job shadowing, conversations with information technology recruiters, economic development leaders, and industry associations. Teachers also participated in workshops on work-based learning, aligning the standards, technology, and authentic assessment.

Our Role: The STW Alliance recruited Consolidated Edison, the NYC Department of Education Office of School to Career, and the UFT Teacher Center as partners on this project. The STW Alliance managed the project and recruited the teacher participants, speakers and special guests.

Outcomes: Increased understanding by teachers of the connection between workplace and education standards, which enabled them to communicate to their students the skills and competencies needed for career success. In addition, teachers acquired new instructional strategies that support active learning and development of such workplace skills as team building, problem solving and technology.

The Problem: New York City High School students and educators have limited access to state-of-the-art career information.

The Solution: A series of workshops that encourage teachers' and counselors' use of the New York States Department of Labor's free career information delivery website: Career Zone (www.nycareerzone.org). Students and educators can use the website to learn about over 900 occupations and begin to develop short and long term career goals.

Our Role: The STW Alliance organized the workshops, scheduled the NYS Department of Labor trainers and recruited appropriate school personnel to attend the sessions. The STW Alliance also arranged for experienced educators to supplement the state's presentation with techniques for integrating Career Zone into the classroom and other ongoing school activities.

Outcomes: Students are using Career Zone to explore various industries and develop career plans. The STW Alliance has received requests from educators to offer more Career Zone trainings.

The Problem: School-business partnerships abound in NYC, but the impact on student achievement is not always clear. Furthermore, many relationships are difficult to sustain over time.

The Solution: Promote to schools and businesses those qualities that boost the effectiveness and sustainability of partnerships so these qualities can be built into their collaborations.

Our Role: The STW Alliance has published "Essential Qualities of Successful Career Readiness Partnerships," which reflects NYC experience as well as best practices nationwide. They include critical elements such as shared values, mutually beneficial goals, a focus on school goals, measurable outcomes, and continuous feedback and improvement. These "Essential Qualities" are widely disseminated to school and business people via our trainings and website.

Outcomes: More school and business people enter into partnerships with a sound understanding of what it takes to be successful, and therefore are more likely to succeed. Existing partnerships have been redefined to include elements for success that previously had been missing.

The Problem: The public's image of Automotive High School and automotive careers was outdated. The school was not perceived as a state-of-the-art institution, which it is.

The Solution: Use the certification of Automotive High School's technician training programs, recently honored by the National Automobile Technician Education Foundation, (NATEF), as an occasion to celebrate and update the community about the school's current programs.

Our Role: The STW Alliance helped organize a celebration day for the school to share this recognition and build bridges with community and business leaders. The STW Alliance identified and contacted key community, business, and civic leaders to talk to them about Automotive High School and invite them to the celebration. The Alliance encouraged all community leaders to think about ways they might partner with the school.

Outcomes: The celebration was successful in bringing the Brooklyn Borough President, members of the Chamber of Commerce and community organizations to the school. Local businesses and civic organizations have contacted Automotive High School to discuss opportunities to partner with the school. The school and automotive career are better understood and have a more positive image in the community.

The Problem: The school lacked connections to appropriate business and industry partners who could potentially bring professional expertise, knowledge and resources to the school and its students.

The Solution: Provide training and individual coaching to the principal and other senior staff to build their capacity to identify, recruit, manage, and effectively utilize relationships with external groups in a way that supports the educational priorities of the school.

Our Role: The STW Alliance staff provided training and coaching in establishing goals for the advisory council, good practices for managing the meeting process, and using partners effectively. The STW Alliance pointed the school toward viable community resources and brokered some of those relationships.

Outcomes: The school's advisory council, which for a time had been inactive, was revitalized through effective management of external partnerships. Business and community partners began to take a more active role at the school and contributed their expertise and time to organize career exploration and development activities.

The Problem: While there are hundreds of businesses that participate in school-business partnerships in New York City, there has been little public recognition for the strong benefits partnerships offer the education and business communities. The public remained unaware of the variety of successful school-business partnerships.

The Solution: Bring together business leaders and educators involved in school-business partnerships across New York City and publicly recognize and celebrate their efforts to enhance student achievement.

Our Role: The STW Alliance organized an annual School-Business Partnership Recognition Reception. Each year the Alliance solicits nominations, selects honorees, invites special guests, and hosts the annual reception of business, schools and community-based organizations.

Outcomes: Increased public awareness of the value provided by school-business partnerships that support career readiness efforts in New York City. Stronger motivation for schools and businesses to engage in high quality partnerships. Networking opportunities for schools and business leaders.

The Problem: Many companies in the printing and graphic communication arts profession have found it difficult to find the higher skilled employees they need despite strong, well paying career opportunities. Students, teachers and counselors have been led to believe that the industry is shrinking and offers few career opportunities.

The Solution: Bring together representatives from the printing and graphic communication arts industry to speak out on the issue, and publicize the many career possibilities for young people.

Our Role: The Alliance convened a forum of professionals from the industry to inform educators, guidance counselors, and parents about opportunities in the field. The Alliance also published and distributed a report outlining the critical issues.

Outcomes: Increased understanding of the career opportunities in the tri-state region, the types of skills required for successful careers, and the pathways to careers in the printing and graphic communication arts industry among key audiences.

The Problem: Staten Island employers have trouble finding and keeping qualified employees for entry-level positions with career potential even though many students are graduating from local high schools and looking for work.

The Solution: A Job Training Customer Service Institute to train students before they graduate from high school in customer service and other job readiness skills. The model program, held after school, will train selected seniors from two Staten Island public high schools, who will then apply and interview for jobs promised by the Business Council of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC).

Our Role: The STW Alliance partnered with Owen Consulting to support the SIEDC in designing and staffing the model program, writing the curriculum, and constructing effective assessment.

Outcomes
Approximately 50 Staten Island public high school graduates will be placed with committed Staten Island businesses, meeting the businesses' genuine need for entry-level employees. All students in the Job Institute will be better prepared to enter the working world, regardless of the field they choose.