JOB SHADOW

Thank you for opening your workplace to our students!

A job shadow is a short-term experience (usually a half day) pairing 1–5 students with an employee to see the day-to-day of a career.

WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD EXPERIENCE

  • Learn about your job, including typical pay range and education requirements, and potentially learn about other related or similar roles

  • Observe real work and get a feel for the pace, the culture, etc.

  • Explore hands-on where possible — use tools of the field and try tasks

  • Hear how you got here, including education, training, certifications, challenges along the way, etc.

  • Have the opportunity to ask questions

  • Discuss guidance on soft skills where possible – how being at school, going to class on time, working in groups, and handling challenges relate to employment

PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS

  • Transportation is provided by the school or the student

  • School staff may or may not stay for the job shadow. If they do not, a background check (paid for by JCPS) is required for the main employee being shadowed. Click here for the background check link.

  • Communicate dress code and any other professional expectations in advance

  • Ask the Academy Coach or teacher what students have learned so far in their pathway classes, and what’s next

  • If helpful, we can provide sample schedules for a half-day or full-day job shadow

CONNECT IT TO CLASS — Please Include!

  • Help students see how your everyday work uses the numeracy and literacy skills they're learning during high school. A few examples to spark ideas:

    • Numeracy: budgets, measurements, data/analytics, scheduling, pricing

    • Literacy: writing reports/emails, presenting ideas, reading technical docs, communicating with clients/teams, other forms of professional communication

Pointing out even one or two concrete examples of how you use numeracy or literacy in your job helps students see why these skills matter beyond the classroom. We can help you brainstorm!

QUESTIONS? NEED HELP PLANNING?

Contact Suzanne Gorman, Lead Business Partnership Coordinator, at suzanne.gorman@kentuckianaworks.org