| EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION |
| Business Camp |
| GM Youth Educational System |
| Educator Internship Project |
Whatever technological advances the business world may make in the coming decades, the success of individual businesses will continue to hinge on their employees. Computers are great, but it's the people who run them that are the lifeblood of our economy. For businesses, helping produce educated students should be a top priority. After all, it's an investment in the future.
What kids are learning in school today is shaping the workforce of tomorrow. Education That Works programs teach students to look beyond high school -- beyond college, even -- toward the real world, and that means developing marketable skills in a competitive market.
As our economy continues to evolve, the demand for workers with skills beyond simple reading, writing and arithmetic, will only grow. The top priority of ETW is to educate our students. And with a little help from employers -- both as participants in ETW programs and as investors -- we can produce high-achieving, well-educated, dependable students who could eventually become the successful professionals business owners need.
| THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
In a three-day Minority Business Leadership camp, 30 students are put through a rigorous series of interviews, problem-solving activities and teambuilding exercises designed to teach them the importance of business communications.
At the end of the camp, local business professionals -- from H.E.B, Whataburger, staff sourcing centers and other employers -- put the students through mock interviews. Students who impress the businesses have the chance to land a real job -- and set out on the road to success.
In the GM Youth Educational System, the dealers train high school juniors in four critical areas of dealership administration: computerized cataloging, service writing, warranty administration and auto collision estimating. When the course is over, the students are certified in each area, and effectively become free agents and can be hired by any licensed dealer.
"A lot of students see the personal development and see the connection of the business skills with the employment," says Roger Arredondo, administrator for Career and Technology for the Brownsville ISD.
The teachers were able to get a better understanding of particular careers their students could be headed into, and it gave employers -- including Southwestern Bell, Dupont, FINA and local hospitals -- an idea about the curriculum students are being taught. One employer called the program "wonderful," and added that "industry shared in getting a bird's eye view of what teachers are faced with each day in trying to challenge students in the field of science."
