THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

By Helana Rodriguez

​Did you know Delaware vo-tech medical assistant students lack access to pediatric-training?
 
While Delaware’s students are receiving quality education and graduating career ready, there are still many career paths that are either overlooked or lack the partnerships needed to create settings and experiences for students to gain hands-on experience and exposure to careers like pediatric care.
 
But there’s good news! Through programs like our Delaware Principal for a Day program, tremendous opportunities are expanding for our students.
 
Hosted by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development affiliate—The Partnership, Inc.—Delaware Principal for a Day facilitated 80 visits in 61 schools across the state last week. The program has been creating strong connections between educators and the business community for over 30 years, and with a reimagined focus this year, schools and business leaders were strategically matched to help facilitate intentional and impactful partnerships.

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An example of one of these pairings is Nemours Children’s Health who visited two vocational-technical high schools, Delcastle Technical High School and St. George’s Vocational Technical High School. These matches were made with the intention to foster discussions around the integration of pediatric training in our schools.
 
They aren’t the only long-term partnership resulting from the program. By identifying the needs of the participating schools in five focus areas, The Partnership paired each school with a business leader who has a unique skill set to support in the identified area.
 
Five focus areas:
1. Basics of Project Management (Time Management, Teamwork + Delegating tasks)
2. Job Readiness (Soft Skills, Resume + Interview prep)
3. Mentorship and Internship Opportunities 
4. Program/Club Development
5. Personal Finance Training (Budgeting, Credit Cards, Interest, etc.)

Our business community was able to see first-hand the transformative and innovative workforce development programs that already exist in our schools. They also had the opportunity to share with students their own professional experiences; define what job readiness means in their industry; discuss open job and co-op opportunities; hear from principals, educators, and counselors; and much more.
 
The climate of our workforce is ever evolving. Now more than ever, it’s imperative for our education and business communities to invest in the next generation of prospective employees—together.
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Please reach out to me at hrodriguez@dscc.com if you want to be a part of developing our future workforce! We want you at the table.

2022 VISITS:

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