How High Schools Can Incorporate Job Preparedness for Their Students

Job preparedness is the process that helps students prepare for their future careers. It involves developing the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in a job. Through job preparedness in high school, students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills to employers. It also grooms them for success in their future careers.

Unfortunately, as the traditional school curriculum evolved, its emphasis shifted away from developing skills and toward theory. Due to the lack of evidence-based life skills programs and curricula, many students still need to develop the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen careers.

It is exciting to begin to see a shift back to students receiving a comprehensive education focusing on developing the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen careers. Programs with this mindset are geared toward helping students become more aware of their natural abilities. Schools that align their standards with the expectations of their students and employers in the real world ensure that they’ll be able to succeed in the workplace.

Today, students are expected to have the skills necessary to compete in a global economy based on knowledge. Jobs for the Future recently hosted a panel focused on how to provide this for students regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, or geographical location.

The Purpose of Job Preparedness in High School

Job preparedness aims to help students develop the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen careers, closing the gap between what employers are looking for and what job applicants are knowledgeable about.

The lack of job preparedness is likely caused by the dearth of organizations’ interest in training new employees, as it feels time-consuming and overwhelming. This is also caused by school system requirements packed with theory-based classes that don’t provide the practical skills that employers seek.

Due to the constantly changing global job market, students must be prepared for challenges such as time management and resolving conflicts that they’ll face in their chosen careers. Employers expect new employees to bring more of these skills than they were previously hired for.

A study by the Pew Research Center revealed that the number of young adults who were able to secure a summer job was significantly less than the number of people who were able to secure a paid summer job in the previous generation. The lack of job readiness is preventing today’s students from developing the necessary life skills. Students acquire these competencies from early work experience.

Tips for Incorporating Job Preparedness in High School

Students want and need to develop the necessary life skills. Since students spend more time in school than at home, developing career readiness skills at school makes sense.

(1) Offer Work-Based Learning Opportunities

Effective ways to introduce work-based learning to students include shadowing and working with professionals. Following a workplace professional allows them to gain a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be in a specific field.

(2) Build a Connection Between Local Employers and Students

Aside from shadowing professionals, teachers can also arrange regular learning sessions or events that feature networking and hands-on opportunities with local employers. If we can co-design pathways to support the continual development of competencies over time in line with labor-market needs, then we can give students more of the real-work experience that they actually need.

(3) Group Work To Initiate Collaboration Skills

The best results in the workplace are attributed to teamwork and collaboration. Unfortunately, schools do not encourage students to work together. Instead, they focus more on individual grades and work. This is why they must develop the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen careers. Having the opportunity to work together can help students improve their communication skills and self-advocacy.