Work-Based Learning (WBL) - Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8

FACT: 94% of students who participate in an internship graduate from high school

Experiences like internships, job shadows, mentorships, and site visits give students better perspective on the value of academics and its application to the ‘real world’. These connections allow students to develop insight about what they like and do not like within the careers they are exploring. Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 is committed to collaborate with community and industry partners to provide students opportunities for work-based learning in real-world settings. Colorado's labor market is evolving faster than ever. Students and job seekers are engaging in learning experience to help them develop advanced and adaptable skillsets that are necessary to compete in our complex global marketplace. While not a new concept, education is taking more deliberate measures in partnering with business and industry to best support student learning to prepare them for their career potential.

Students at Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 participate in a aptitude/interest inventory to support them identifying their natural skills and abilities and how they relate to the world of work. Our district participates with the Pikes Peak Business and Education Alliance (PPBEA). This alliance consists of 19 school districts and multiple charter schools in El Paso and Teller County, aligned to work together to develop more work-based learning opportunities for students. These opportunities include apprenticeships, internships, job shadows, site visits, career panels, classroom presentations, and more! It is proven that work based learning opportunities positively encourage students to graduate from high school, develop a growth mindset, and increase their lifetime earning potential. Win, win, win!

WHAT IS A...

MENTORShiP

A great way to receive guidance from a professional in industry. This relationship is built to allow professionals to share their knowledge and collaborate to develop a track that allow for students to refine their potential education and professional path. The mentor and student meet on a consistent basis: sometimes in the classroom, or in industry or at a postsecondary institution.

job shadow

A student visits and industry they may be interested in pursuing a career in. The visit is generally a 2-3 hour opportunity that may be done in solidarity or over multiple days. This experience is designed to give students deeper insight into a trade. Students may follow one employee or split the job shadow experience so that they follow multiple employees who serve in different capacities within the business. A student does not usually work during this experience.

interNship

An internship is a real-world opportunity to expose students to the requirements, the work environment, as well as behavioral expectations to succeed on the job within industry. These work experiences are not expected to provide formal training, but parallel training students receive in school. Students are able to receive credit at Fountain-Fort Carson High School for their participation in a 60-hour or 120-hour internship.

SKILLED TRADES CAREER PANEL at Fountain-Fort Carson High School

HEALTHCARE CAREER PANEL at Fountain-Fort Carson High School

MULTI-CAREER PATHWAY CAREER PANEL at Fountain Middle School

WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

What is the Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance (PPBEA)?

The Pikes Peak Business and Education Alliance (PPBEA) is a collaboration of the 19 school districts within our region. This collaboration is developing work-based learning opportunities for students to participate in, including apprenticeships, internships, job shadows, site visits, mentorships, and more! In addition to work-based learning experiences, the PPBEA also provides support in developing student resumés, professionalism training, and connections between our schools and community for these entities to work together in developing a formidable talent pipeline into the world of work.

The PPBEA Helps Students Learn About Careers

The PPBEA allows opportunities for students and classrooms to:

Access a variety of work-based learning experiences and resources to help meet Individual Career and Academic Program (ICAP) quality indicators
Learn about the world of work and learn through work by connecting with opportunities
Receive training, resumé enhancement, and course credit while participating in internships and youth apprenticeships
Access rich resources to learn about the current economic landscape in the Pikes Peak region

The PPBEA Helps Business & Industry Develop Their Talent Pipeline

The PPBEA opens the door for business and industry to:

Mold their future workforce by informing K-12 educational curriculum and improving alignment of learning outcomes to their occupational guidelines
Create relationships with a future, qualified workforce now moving through the K-12 system
Participate in the creation of an intentional, planned talent pipeline for difficult to fill occupations
Impact the economic future of the next generation

Who Can Register with the PPBEA

EVERYONE is welcome to register with the PPBEA.

STUDENTS: take advantage of this resource to discover, start to define, and refine what you want to do after you graduate from high school. If you need support developing your profile, go to SCHOOLOGY -> Join a Course and enter the activation code: MCB#-RCPQ-BR8S8. You will b provided tips and tricks on how to maximize your student profile.
PARENTS: take advantage of this resource to support your child in their development of future goals.
TEACHERS/STAFF: take advantage of this resource to develop work-based learning opportunities for your students, including site visits, interviews with professionals, classroom presentations, mentorships, and more!
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY: this could be parents and staff as well! Register with the PPBEA to help develop work-based learning opportunities. See how you could help develop the talent pipeline to inspire students to enter your industry

WBL Opportunities at FFC8

There are multiple internship opportunities located in the PPBEA Marketplace. In the Advanced Search enter D8 to see the current opportunities. Opportunities include:

Communications Intern
IT Intern
Early Childhood Education Aide Intern

Every summer FFC8 hires students. Look out for positions to be posted. Listings include:

IT
Literacy Aide

DISTRICT INTERNSHIPS

Once accepted into an internship, students will complete the INTERNSHIP REGISTRATION FORM. Once completed, the intern and supervisor will receive an email with a link to the timesheet needed for the student to earn school credit and, potentially, compensation for their time working within the internship. The supervisor will also receive an email with the link to the Intern Evaluation Form.

Intern Evaluation Form Description

In an effort to design an efficient and effective way to quantify our internship programs, Internship Supervisors are encouraged to require their interns to complete a self-evaluation at the midway point of the internship. One of the important aspects of an internship is the ability for students to learn desired professional skills in a safe space. The evaluation form focuses on the student's reflection of their professional behaviors and the supervisor provides feedback on the student's self-evaluation. Once the student completes their evaluation. Research shows a direct correlation between internships and the participants increased long-term success and earning potential in the work place. Learning appropriate workplace behaviors through a low-stakes evaluation process supports this outcome.

Job Opportunities

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM CAREER PANEL Fountain-Fort Carson High School

Student Engaging with Healthcare Career Panel

HEALTHCARE CAREER PANEL at Fountain-Fort Carson High School

MULTI-CAREER PATHWAY CAREER PANEL at Patriot Elementary School

WHAT INDUSTRY IS LOOKING FOR...

TOP INDUSTRIES

The table below shows the industries who, as of 2020, have the largest need for employees.

MULTI-CAREER PATHWAY CAREER PANEL at Welte Education Center was an opportunity for students to learn about the training and skills in different fields.

Our teachers have been visiting industry sectors in our community to learn about different roles and how these responsibilities relate to their subject-area.

Hybl Sports Performance and Medical Center UCCS

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