Students armed with work-based learning

Local businesses talk about partnering with Job Corps

MOSES LAKE — When Patsy Paolino graduated from Walla Walla High School in 2003, she didn't think she had too many options available.

College had always been a desire of hers, but the cost was too much to bear and she was looking for a program that would allow her to work at her own pace, without the demands of long research papers and frequent tests.

With 40 years of experience in training students to enter the work force, Job Corps centers around the nation, including the Columbia Basin Job Corps where Paolino is enrolled, have developed work-based learning programs to give students hands-on training.

Work-based learning pairs students with area businesses to gain hands on experience in a specific field of study.

For the past four months, Paolino has been able to gain on-site experience through work-based learning with the Grant County Fairgrounds, where she contacts new and continuing vendors, sends out judging contracts and uses computer programs for data processing.

"Work-based learning has a lot to do with how well you do when you get out," Paolino said.

Nearly nine months after enrolling at CBJC, Paolino will graduate with certification in business technology, four months work experience and all without the burden of high tuition costs she would have incurred at a university. Erin Stuber 8/24/05 Specify: does she in particular have little burden or no financial burden?.

National programs and legislation over the years have steadily expanded relationships between Job Corps and businesses.

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Career Development Services System of 2001 are two such examples of programs that provide activities and guidelines for job training.

WIA allows work force training activities to be administered through state and local organizations like Job Corps.

Activities include instruction for the completion of secondary school, tutoring, internships, job shadowing, work experience, adult mentoring and comprehensive guidance and counseling. The program emphasizes services for out-of-school youth.

The CDSS is centered on career development services that include five areas to ensure students graduate the program and are successful afterwards.

CDSS includes outreach and admissions, career preparation, career development, career transition prior to graduation and career transition after graduation from Job Corps.

Paolino was the first work-based learning student the Grant County Fairgrounds hired through the program and it is something the operation is interested in doing again in the future, said Ed Spalding, office manager with the Grant County Fairgrounds.

"The biggest benefit is they can apply their training here," he said.

Family Services of Grant County is another organization that has participated in work-based learning with CBJC for a decade.

When the work-based learning program between CBJC and FSGC started, students worked primarily in the family planning department and now have the option of gaining experience in Head Start and Early Head Start, said Annette Hippolyte, human resource manager with Family Services of Grant County.

Working with Job Corps students, many of whom come from low income and disadvantaged families, Erin Stuber 8/24/05 high risk for what? drugs? crime? the term itself is too vague and needs clarification has never been a deterrent to Hippolyte in helping to establish a business relationship with them.

"They have to be 80 percent job ready," Hippolyte said. "So they're not just throwing out these new recruits at us."

Adding a certification program for early childhood development is one change Hippolyte recommends to improve future work-based learning partnerships. It would fill a huge need in Grant County, Hippolyte said.

According to figures from CBJC, 90 percent of graduates go on to pursue careers in the private sector, enlist in the military or continue with training or higher education.

Job placement at CBJC is 83.8 percent and as of June 2005 the Moses Lake center was rated among the top 20 percent of all centers nationwide.

The combination of hands-on work and variety of certification offerings is what keeps Job Corps competitive, said Bonnie Eagar, work-based learning coordinator with the CBJC.

Student exchanges among Job Corps centers allowed students to travel to other areas of the country and receive job skill training, but also proved to be a failure early on for Job Corps.

Mixing inner city youth with rural youth caused problems, and the exchanges usually "proved frustrating and costly," said Ron Robertson, former CBJC center director.

In the early years of Job Corps, the focus of its centers were to recruit students and encourage them to finish their education, making the enforcement of drug abuse and violence policies secondary to retaining a high number of students, Robertson said. At the time, Job Corps had not developed a zero tolerance policy for drugs and violence. Such a policy would not be authorized until 1995.

Today, Job Corps is a place where the reputation of its students and programs — located in more than 120 centers nationwide — has continued to change with time.

Peggy Hendren, center director with CBJC, said that involving the public in community relations council meetings and strengthening relationships with businesses has dramatically changed the perception of Job Corps for the better.

"We're part of the community too and we need somebody specifically designated to help with that," Hendren said of the need for local people to get involved with Job Corps.

The CBJC 40th celebration will take place Friday at the Moses Lake center from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes a barbecue, program featuring Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey, Job Corps students, alumni and tours of the center.