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Hamilton students credit wide-ranging job shadows with clarifying career goals
Summary
Two Hamilton Central School District seniors described multiple job-shadow placements — from fish hatcheries to concrete crews and soil science — and told the school board those hands-on experiences helped them refine career plans and build interview and workplace skills.
Two students who completed Hamilton Central School District's work-based learning program described varied job-shadow experiences to the board on July 15, telling members the placements helped them narrow career plans and learn employability skills.
Stephanie Bernard and Bryce Wright summarized multiple day-long placements — including visits to SUNY Morrisville, a fish hatchery, a DEC officer ride-along, construction and concrete crews, land surveying, and college lab visits — and said the program pairs career exploration with practical skills such as resume writing, cover letters and post-visit reflections. The students said the program is structured to allow students to try several different placements rather than committing to one track for an entire year.
"For me, it definitely made me wanna go to BOCES next year," Bryce Wright said, describing how a placement convinced him to apply to a New Visions program. "It was a really good opportunity."
The work-based learning instructor, who introduced the students, told the board the program is designed to let students pivot among experiences so they can compare options and make informed choices about postsecondary pathways. "I think that hands-on piece and getting out of the classroom and actually diving in is imperative to our kids," the instructor said.
Board members and administrators praised the students' presentations. One member suggested the students' talks could be repurposed for younger grades to help other students understand course and career options earlier in their school careers.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation. The district's work-based learning model was described as smaller in scale than some regional programs (enrollment numbers for 2021—2024 in the presentation varied from two to four students per year), but presenters and board members said the individualized, local approach is a strength.
The students answered board questions about whether the presentation had been shared with other grades; presenters said this was the first time they had given the presentation to the board and that they had practiced it a few times. The board encouraged staff to consider offering the presentation to younger students in the district.
The presentation concluded without vote; the board moved on to routine agenda items.
