Purpose

Offer students experiences to explore and discern their career goals, abilities, and interests while applying their knowledge to build skills in a real-world context.

Definition

Work-based learning includes activities like career workshops and paid on-site work experiences aligned to each school's chosen occupational title. Activities may serve three different functions, which may apply across grades:

  • Career Awareness: Promote knowledge of different careers aligned with your school's chosen occupational title
  • Career Exploration: Help students gain deeper understanding of potential careers and further investigate particular industries/occupations
  • Career Development: Enable practical learning through simulated or real-world experiences to strengthen students' awareness of professional environments, workplace norms, and employer expectations

Minimum experiences FRNYC schools must provide to FRNYC students:

      • Grade

      • Career Awareness and Exploration

      • Career Development

      • Grade 9
        • Apply to SYEP or Career Ready SYEP if school is a CRSYEP site
      • Grade 10
        • 2 career exploration activities (see WBL Opportunities Grid in the recommended resources for examples), which may include Career Discovery Week
        • Pre-Workplace Challenge workshop
        • Apply to SYEP or Career Ready SYEP if school is a CRSYEP site
        • CRMYA Schools: Students should consider registering for Pathways Matching course if interested in applying for an apprenticeship
      • Grades 11 and 12*
        • Optional—students may participate in other supplemnetal** career awareness and exploration opportunities
        • Paid school-based Workplace Challenge OR on-site internship experiences with a pathway-aligned employer*
        • CRMYA schools: Apprenticeships if applicable
        • Apply to SYEP or Career Ready SYEP if school is a CRSYEP site
        • CRMYA schools: 11th graders who complete Pathways Matching should consider applying to a CRMYA apprenticeship

*FRNYC students can participate in one paid work-based learning experience (WPC or Internship) in either 11th or 12th grade.

Supplemental WBL experiences schools may provide to students

GRADE 10
  • 1:1 mock interview with advisor or teacher
    • One 20-minute mock interview tailored to students' chosen career interests
  • Three 1-hour resume workshops
    • Session #1: Students learn about the importance and use of resumes
    • Session #2: Students learn to describe their achievements / competencies and draft their resumes
    • Session #3: Students edit their resumes using facilitator and peer feedback
GRADE 11
  • Two 1-hour job application workshops
    • Session #1: Students learn how to select and complete job applications
    • Session #2: Students share exciting opportunities with one another and present their applications to educators for review
  • Two 2-hour professionalism and communications workshops
    • Session #1: Students learn how to professionally present themselves and efficiently communicate in an office environment
    • Session #2: Students learn to solve problems as a team and build robust mentor-mentee relationships
GRADE 12
  • One 2-hour capstone seminar following on-site experience
    • Students write 3-page essay on the challenges and growth opportunities faced during their WBL experience
  • One 2-hour capstone seminar on future paths ahead of graduation
    • Students create bulleted resume description of experience
    • Students present completing statement: 'where will I be in 5 years'

Detailed implementation guidance

To establish Work-based Learning, schools should complete the following milestones:

      • Key Milestones

      • Action Items and Guidance

      • Hire / assign relevant WBL staff (required)
        • WBL Coordinator: Leads planning and implementation of WBL activities and serves as the primary point of contact with your school’s WBL intermediary partner
        • Data programmer(s): 1-2 staff members to input data into the Career Pathways Portal (CPP), an NYCPS tool that serves as both an internship data management and payroll system (training will be provided during the school year), as well as STARS
      • Meet with WBL intermediary provider to align on NYCPS-approved WBL experiences and program timeline
        • Your WBL intermediary partner is a critical resource who will help identify employers to support select student experiences, including Career Discovery Week as well as paid experiences such as Workplace Challenge and on-site internships with employers (more details under the Intermediaries section in the Partnerships chapter)
        • Schools should meet with their WBL intermediary provider to learn about their offerings and how they will work with your school
        • WBL intermediaries will also conduct in-person info session for students. Schools should inform their intermediary of students’ language needs and other accommodations where applicable.
      • Draft sequence of WBL experiences across all grades
        • WBL offerings will be created by school staff and your school’s WBL intermediary provider, with support from the Office of Student Pathways
          • Intermediary partners will take the lead on most internship logistics, including providing marketing materials and info sessions for students, recruiting host employers, interviewing and matching students to employers, and leading employer orientations
          • Schools should stay in regular communication with their intermediary partner and support implementation in several areas, including I-9 verification for students, data collection, and ensuring students attend WBL programming
        • Each school should design their set of WBL activities based on their schedule, geography, student population, staffing, and other factors to meet students’ needs. WBL activities may include offerings through non-NYCPS sources including DYCD (Summer Youth Employment Program-SYEP) and other community-based organizations.
      • Ensure staff complete necessary trainings
        • Learn about FRNYC WBL expectations and programming at FRNYC Summer Institute
        • Designated data programmer(s) should complete online CPP training
        • Schedule WBL programming for students
            • Co-plan student identification and recruitment in WBL activities with the school-based FRNYC team especially in coordination with the CN liaison so that enrollment in ECC and WBL are coordinated and do not act as scheduling barriers
            • Schedule career awareness and career exploration activities for 9th and 10th grade FRNYC students in collaboration with the Career Foundations teacher
            • Identify students entering 11th and 12th grade to participate in a paid WBL experience during the school year and schedule students accordingly
            • Meet with intermediary to confirm timing for WBL experiences for 11th and 12th grade students (if applicable)
            • Based on your school’s schedule, block out dates for hands-on WBL experiences, including:
              • Workplace challenge (4-6 person groups solve employer-issued real-world problems)
              • Paid or stipend-based on-site experience with a pathway-aligned employer
              • Consulting on Career Foundations hands-on project-based learning unit
            • Note: Undocumented students are eligible for paid Workplace Challenge experiences. Schools should provide 1:1 advising to undocumented students to support engagement in this experience.

    • Help 11th and 12th grade students (if applicable) create profiles on CPP
      • Ensure students’ CPP profiles are created and functional before they begin WBL experiences
      • Students are strongly encouraged to create their CPP profiles in 9th or 10th grade, if possible
    • Help 11th and 12th grade students (if applicable) obtain working papers and complete I-9 verification (alongside intermediary)
      • Work with intermediary and the central School Implementation Management System (SIMS) team to support students during the I-9 process (see “additional recommended resources” below for SIMS contacts)
      • Current 11th and 12th grade students must complete their I-9 verification at least 4-6 weeks prior to the start of their paid experience. Students are strongly encouraged to complete their I-9 verification during 9th and 10th grades. Once students are I-9 verified, they do not need to do it again for NYCPS paid work experiences.
      • Conduct orientation sessions with students and families to ensure they are aware of the process, documentation, and permissions needed (schools should include translation services / translated materials as necessary)
    • Summer WBL
      • Support students with learning about multiple summer WBL opportunities including SYEP or Career Ready SYEP (CRSYEP)
      • FRNYC schools also participating in CRSYEP must prioritize FRNYC student enrollment for CRSYEP placements
      • See this crosswalk list of FRNYC and CRSYEP schools

Additional recommended resources

    • To support WBL programming, the central FRNYC team will provide:
      • Facilitation materials / templates for school-led WBL activities
      • Sample sequences of WBL experiences
        • Related resource: WBL Opportunities Grid: List of recommended WBL activities for schools (includes examples of career awareness, career exploration, and career development activities)
        • WBL intermediary provider to work with your school for paid WBL
      • Planning and facilitation of Career Discovery Week via intermediary partners (which will count as one of two required Career Exploration activities)
    • Work-based learning overview: Overview of WBL from the NYCPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) team
    • Career Pathways Portal handbook: Step-by-step guidance on using different functions of the portal along with video tutorials
    • Policies for awarding credit for Off-site Courses

SIMS Team Contacts

  • The SIMS Team is integral to the management and tracking of student's paid work-based learning experiences in the Career Pathways Portal (CPP). The SIMS Team supports WBL Coordinators by:
    • Providing CPP training and ongoing technical assistance
    • Conducting I-9 student work authorization for paid WBL opportunities
    • Monitoring the documentation in CPP of paid experience including student enrollment, processing WBL project scopes, and approving host site applications
    • Reviewing and giving final approval in CPP of payroll for paid experiences
  • The SIMS Team is structured by borough allowing team members to cultivate relationships and provide consistent support to schools.