Job Shadowing
The COMPACT offers job shadowing opportunities to area high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors following their participation in Career Cruising, an online program that helps students narrow down their career focus. Each year, approximately 300 individual placements occur with local businesses and agencies that volunteer to host the students for a day. Students have the opportunity to actually 'try on' a career before they pursue the training and education involved in it. Many of them receive hands-on related experience while they are job shadowing in addition to learning the day-to-day operations of the career of their choice. Many times students leave feeling more aware of the career area they are interested in, and some are granted the opportunity for part-time jobs or internships. Not only does this help to train youth in job-readiness skills but it also works to boost students' confidence in the world outside of school. This also provides businesses the ability to showcase the careers they offer, and train the possible workforce of the future. Students shadow in a wide range of career areas, including criminal justice, civil engineering, computer systems, culinary arts, automotive and repair, zoo keeping, performing arts, and many others. All schools are invited to participate in this valuable experience, and the feedback we receive from the students, their teachers, and the businesses they shadow with is very positive.
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A program of the University of Illinois Extension.