“What should I do after high school?” “What should I major in at college?” “Can I make money pursuing my dream?” Students can get help finding answers to these questions by participating in the West Chester Area School District’s Job Shadowing Program.

Job shadowing is a career education experience that brings high school students into the workplace to observe and explore the “world of work” first hand, making the critical link between the skills they are learning in school and the importance of this knowledge and skill acquisition to future career success. In addition to learning about education requirements, job specifics and salary potential, job shadowing opportunities allow students to begin the important process of networking with professionals in a highly competitive job market. A job shadowing experience may also help a student decide that they would prefer to explore other career paths before investing time and money in a specific field.

Students in eleventh and twelfth grade may participate in a job shadowing experience between October and April. A variety of individuals and businesses in the region offer full-day or half-day opportunities for individual and groups. A calendar is sent to students each month and they select which job shadowing experience they would like to participate in. The student can also work with the Career Career Education Instructor Instructor to coordinate a job shadowing opportunity tailored to their career area of interest.

For more information, contact Donna Foley, Career Education Counselor, dfoley@wcasd.net.