Work-based learning takes off at Webutuck

AMENIA —  In a ramping-up of an experiential-based program to prepare students for the workforce, Webutuck High School’s Work Based Learning (WBL) program is exceeding expectations with 22 students involved, and looking to expand even more. 

“We’re creating pathways for students in the directions they want to go,” said high school Principal Robert Knuschke, who is in his second year in the district. Responding to the community, the program offers a range of skills not normally taught or practiced in schools. Student choice of direction is important in the process, and they are encouraged to branch out.

WBL is part of New York State’s Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) initiative under its Career and Technical Education (CTE) branch, with a curriculum starting in first grade dedicated to “…implementing powerful lessons that will connect the academic world with the “real world,” according to its mission statement. Students who complete Webutuck’s program receive the CDOS, or career readiness, certification.

As explained on Webutuck’s website, the main components of WBL include “both paid and non-paid work experiences. Students work during school or after school, or during the summer. Additional opportunities,” it continues, include “job shadowing, mentoring, guest speakers, and company tours. All WBL programs include classroom instruction aligned to CDOS standards. Students create resumes, portfolios, practice interview skills and soft job skills.” An additional page lists the many benefits to employers flowing from WBL.

The “soft skills” are those most requested by employers, Knuschke pointed out. Knowing how to dress for a job, how to communicate both generally and in cases of challenges, habits of punctuality and self-presentation are all valuable skills that are inculcated in the program.

In WBL coordinator and special education teacher Jonathan Scarinzi’s first-period Career Explorations class of ninth- through 12th-graders, students presented their research and learning by relating scenarios they had been given in a previous class. “You are a woman working alongside men, and you discover you are being paid less” was one example that required stipulating which state rules and regulations cover such situations. They discussed how the number of hours and times of day a student can work during the school year varies by age and how laws are increasingly stringent for students under 16, among other topics.

In-class viewing of a video on “OSHA Nightmares” depicting hazardous situations in the field elicited groans of excitement and led to a reminder that employers can be fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which protects workers who report dangerous conditions.

In Scarinzi’s second-period Workplace Learning class of 12 students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), young workers filled out reports on their jobs and consulted with their teacher. Zuleika, a junior in her third year of Workplace Learning, related how a first job in retail in Amenia, mostly back-of-store duties tagging merchandise, segued into assisting in Maplebrook School’s art room with student peers and now to assisting the elementary and middle-school art teachers at Webutuck. Her new goal is to study art after graduation.

Senior Dominyck Perez’s path is another one that illustrates the concept of exposing students to various professions to enhance their choice-making. Perez initially wanted to follow his father into the construction trade, but having been encouraged to try a stint in WHS’ kitchen led to a season working in “fancy prep” at Troutbeck and a decision that culinary arts, with possible training at the famed Culinary Institute of America, is a passion he wants to pursue.  

Currently, Perez is apprenticed to owner Lucy Abad and manager Lori Holah at Richie’s Deli in Amenia. “We’ve had many students from the program over the last five or six years, and we’re always glad to have them,” said Abad, who added, “and Dominyck caught on very quickly.”

He works the morning rush on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “It’s hard to get the hang of things quickly,” Perez said, but his confidence is growing. Timing, marking the orders properly, and coordinating with the busy team are all challenges. “I like everything about it,” he said, noting that being physically active during the school day is very welcomed and makes him appreciate both ways of learning more.