DOCUMENT RESUME CE 083 249 ED 465 028 School-to-Careers Company of the Year: 2000 Award Winners. TITLE National Employer Leadership Council, Washington, DC. INSTITUTION National Alliance of Business, Inc., Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY 2000-00-00 PUB DATE 14p.; Supported by the business community and the National NOTE School-to-Work Office, a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. For full text: http://www.nelc.org/C0Y2000.pdf. AVAILABLE FROM Descriptive (141) PUB TYPE Reports EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. *Awards; Career Awareness; Career Education; Career DESCRIPTORS Exploration; Colleges; *Computer Networks; Computer Science; *Education Work Relationship; Elementary Secondary Education; Geography; Higher Education; Information Systems; Recognition (Achievement); *School Business Relationship; *Technology Education; *Work Experience Programs ABSTRACT This booklet profiles the four School-to-Careers Company of the Year Award winners judged to be demonstrating clearly the value and importance of these three key employer activities: working directly with students and teachers, building a school-to-careers system in the community, and strengthening company practice. The four winners and their programs are Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, California, for Paving the Road to Careers on the Information Superhighway; Geographic Data Technology, Inc., Lebanon, New Hampshire, for Helping Young People Map Their Future; Intel Corporation--Oregon Site, Santa Clara, California, Shaping Technology Education from Every Angle; and UPS--Louisville, Kentucky, Operation, Atlanta, Georgia, Delivering Meaningful Opportunities for Students. Each two-page profile of the winners describes the program and provides contact information. (YLB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. School-to-Careers Company of the Year vja Lcad N U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION e . Office of Educational Research and Improvement 147, ED ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND G CENTER (ERIC) DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS This document has been reproduced as ..*.t; received from the person or organization BEEN GRANTED BY originating it. Ct.wo3 NEL 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Helping Create Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent Tomorrow's Workforce TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES official OERI position or policy. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 200 L ward ners NATIONAL& ALLIANCE OF BUSINESS EST COPYAVAILABLE 2 About the National Employer Leadership Council NELC Leadership Board of 40 The National Employer senior business executives, are Leadership Council (NELC) committed to sustaining the is a business membership significant changes in teaching organization dedicated to and learning taking place across expanding and enhancing the country as a result of school- employer involvement in school- to-careers. to-careers. NELC members advocate and support school-to- For additional information, careers and its fundamental please contact: principles as a means to improve both academic achievement and National Employer Leadership career opportunities for students. Council do National Alliance of Business The diverse companies, business organizations, and trade 1201 New York Avenue, NW associations that comprise the Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 NELC work closely with students, Phone: (800) 360-NELC teachers, parents, and others to E-mail: [email protected] build quality school-to-careers initiatives at the state and local Website: wwwnelc.org levels. NELC members, and the Me NELC c supported by the business community and the National School-to-Work Office, a joint initiative of the U.S. apartments of Education and Labor. 3 School-to-Careers Company of the Year Award The School-to-Careers 2000 Award Winners Company of the Year Award honors businesses involved Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, with exemplary school-to-careers California Geographic Data initiatives. Employers are Technology, Inc., Lebanon, nominated based on a set of New Hampshire criteria that includes: working with Intel Corporation Oregon students, working with schools and Site, Santa Clara, California teachers, working with the Louisville, Kentucky UPS community evaluating practices, Operation, Atlanta, Georgia and demonstrating results. The competitive process is based on peer review and involves members of the NELC Leadership Board. Profiles of the businesses nominated for the Award will be posted on the NELC website: www.nelc.org. The NEW thanks the following board Members for serving on the 2000 School-to-Careers Company of the Year Award Review Committee: Deborah Gingher, The Prudential Insurance Company; Peter Joyce, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Susan Levering, Branch Electric Supply Company; and Jenny Thshida, Charles Schwab, Inc. Employer Involvement in School-to-Careers Building a School-to-Careers he four School-to-Careers T System in the Community. To Company of the Year Award winners profiled in this booklet are align their efforts in local but a few of the thousands of communities and regions, leading employers actively engaged in school- school-to-careers employers work to-careers initiatives across the closely with local, state, regional, country. In every industry and every and national organizations and community, employers are partnering associations. As a result, school-to- with students, teachers, and careers provides wide benefits not community organizations to create only to students and teachers but new learning opportunities for the also to the community as a whole. workforce of tomorrow. Strengthening Company Since its inception, the National Practice. Implementing high- Employer Leadership Council and its quality school-to-careers activities members have promoted a wide range requires that all employees actively of activities for employers in school- support the company's to-careers through the Employer involvement. No matter how large Participation Model (EPM). The or small the company, employees EPM presents specific roles for need to understand their employers in three main areas: importance to local school-to- Working Directly with careers activities. Students and Teachers. This It is equally important for category includes a range of employers and their school-to-careers activities to connect young people partners to regularly assess and and educators with the world of evaluate their activities. This ensures work. It provides a framework for that school-to-careers activities in developing increasingly substantive local communities are improved workplace experiences as students continuously. progress through school. It also This year's winners all clearly involves young people working demonstrate the value and directly with adult mentors and importance of these key employer supervisors. At the same time, activities. Through their efforts, and employer representatives work those of thousands of other employers closely with teachers to develop across the country, school-to-careers classroom activities that reinforce supports effective teaching and work-based learning experiences. learning for the 21st Century. 2 Cisco Systems, Inc. Paving the Road to Careers on the Information Superhighway a Quality Assurance Plan. The cisco Systems, Inc., a management system permits worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, students to access content from is committed to working with inside or outside the classroom, educational systems and proceed through each lesson at institutions around the globe to their own pace, view video and ensure that today's students master other visual explanations of the the necessary skills for success. technology, and take frequent tests Toward that end, Cisco's online to assess comprehension and retention. comprehensive e-learning system, known as the Cisco Networking Developed in concert with leading educators to ensure sound Academy Program, fosters student development and exposure to pedagogy, the Cisco Networking information technology through Academy provides a skills-based, its networking curriculum. hands-on learning environment Launched in the fall of 1997 complete with trained instructors in Washington, D.C., the Cisco and Cisco hardware. Semesters 1 to 4 of the program cover networking Networking Academy Program fundamentals and are taught at centers on teaching high school, community and technical college, the secondary and postsecondary and four-year college students to levels. Students who complete the design, build, and maintain course and pass the test modules computer networks. The are prepared to take the Cisco curriculum is web-based and Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. The industry- delivered over each Academy's network to students' desktop recognized certification qualifies computers through the Cisco the student for entry-level network manager jobs with an average Networking Academy Management starting salary of $25,000 and System (CNAMS). Furthermore, higher. In addition, Cisco has CNAMS provides online testing, initiated a continuation program student-performance tracking, and 3 Increasingly, all businesses with Semesters 5 to 8, which will will rely on a highly trained, prepare students for the Cisco technology-literate workforce in Certified Network Professional order to thrive in the coming certification. years. Through its rich school-to- Three years after its inception, careers partnership, Cisco Systems the Cisco Networking Academy is securing a promising future for Program is growing at a students and businesses in today's phenomenal rate. Educational flourishing Internet Economy. institutions and governments, all 50 U.S. States, the District of Contact: Columbia, and more than 60 Kevin Warner countries around the world have Director, Worldwide Education Cisco Systems, Inc. adopted the program. Over 170 W. Tasman Drive 100,000 students will be enrolled San Jose, CA 95134-1706 in the networking academy in (408) 527-1024; Fax: (408) 527-9437 school year 2000-2001, and there E-mail: [email protected] will be over 3,600 networking Website: www.cisco.comIedu/academies academy programs worldwide. 4 7 Geographic Data Technology, Inc. Helping Young People Map Their Future on map reading and lessons on Geographic Data Technology latitude and longitude for younger (GDT) is a 21st-century mapping company, in that students. all its maps are computer Activities for older students provide opportunities to databases. Over the past 20 years, contextualize lessons on GDT has become the premiere digital map supplier for business geography, cartography, trigonometry, statistics, and applications and its USA database is now the most-often-used skills that GTD computer science resource for Internet locator and employees use on a daily basis. For routing applications. example, in the spring of 2000, GDT worked with the local school GDT's subject is geography, district's sixth grade class to create and, more specifically, Geographic an accurate map of a new three- Information Systems (GIS). This mile recreational trail recently intersection of geography and established in town. The sixth information technology provides graders presented the map to the many opportunities to work with town Conservation Commission schools, including curriculum development. Thus, the entire and a computerized GIS representation of the trail to the enterprise has immersed itself in Town Planner. GDT's "formula" school-to-careers activities. for an effective educational For many years GDT has experience is to involve students as hosted tours for school groups at peers with adults on real all levels. A particularly popular community projects, using activity is a "scavenger hunt" professional equipment, where students use professional procedures, and standards. At the Global Positioning System equipment to find "treasure" (T- other end of the spectrum are shirts) hidden on the company intensive guest lectures and discussions on technology and the grounds. This exercise ethics of GIS for Dartmouth contextualizes classroom activities 5 GDT plans to expand its College geography students. activities with schools to include For the November 19th, 1999, working with local teachers to GIS DAY celebration, GDT staff train GDT volunteers to be more members went into 22 local effective in the classroom. GDT has schools and conducted also partnered with local presentations on what GIS is and community colleges and how it affects the students' lives. vocational centers to create courses The same day, GDT also offered an and internships around GIS. Open House with tours, visual Geographic Data Technology works demonstrations, and a job fair. The to make a difference in education company reached over 800 at all levels in the community. students and had over 200 people at the Open House. Contact: GDT employees work in Deb McCaffrey collaboration with or serve on the Marketing Coordinator Geographic Data Technology Boards of local schools, the Upper 11 Lafayette Street Valley Business and Education Lebanon, NH 03766 Partnership (UVBEP), the New (603) 643-0330 x1333; Hampshire Job Bank, New Fax: (603) 643-6808 Hampshire Technical College, and E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.geographic.com the Upper Valley Teacher Institute. 6 Intel Corporation (Oregon Site) Shaping Technology Education from Every Angle "StRUT" schools. Students in the Aast Intel, the span of school-to- careers programs is growing StRUT classes refurbish the rapidly as the Internet donated computers and distribute them to classrooms throughout Economy in which it competes. As their school district. Today there a leader in the high-tech industiy, are over 2,500 StRUT students in Intel recognizes the necessity for 125 schools who participate in the (1) improvement in science and math education, (2) effective use program. Intel wanted to assist students of technology in the classroom, (3) inside and outside of the broad access to technology, and classroom, so a new partnership (4) encouragement for women and minorities to enter technical with the Beaverton Police Activities League and the Portland Salvation careers. In order to meet these objectives, Intel Oregon organized Army has led to two Intel Computer Clubhouses. The 16 separate programs and donated $9.4 million in cash and Clubhouses, supplied with high- equipment to education programs end technology, will provide an educational and recreational after- in 1999. school "hangout" for students. Intel encourages hands-on Students who attend the Computer training in the technology field. In Clubhouse will receive school-to- partnership with the Northwest careers opportunities such as job Regional Education Service shadows, internships, and tours at District, Intel's innovative Students Intel. Intel Oregon will open Recycling Used Technology additional Clubhouses within the (StRUT) program provides next four years as part of Intel's students with a technical comprehensive plan to establish background in computers while expanding computer access in the 100 Computer Clubhouses classroom. In this program, Intel worldwide. and other enterprises donate new While its efforts to reach students are laudable, Intel and used computers and parts to 7 1 0