Abstract:

Eagle Enterprises: School-To-Work Transition Program

Eagle Enterprises is a school/private industry/government collaborative formed for the purpose of assisting secondary special education students in the "school-to-careers" transition process through "hands - on" learning. The program fosters development of generic work skills and competencies needed for entry-level employment in our area's prominent service industries. Eagle Enterprises has been running successfully in the Egg Harbor Township School District since 1989. The program is overseen by: 3 special education teachers, 3 regular education teachers, 3 instructional aides, 2 high school administrators and 4 members of the local Job Connection/WIB. Eagle Enterprises services an average of 150 students every year. The funding is a collaboration of the local school district, IDEA and Job Connection/WIB funds. All students participating in the program are classified students that have been identified by the Youth Study Team.

Area 1: Goals:

Students are able to attain knowledge through structured hands-on learning activities that relate to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Standard 1: All students will develop Career Planning and Workplace readiness skills.

• Demonstrate employability skills and work habits; work ethic, dependability, promptness, getting along with others.
• Describe the importance of personal skills and attitudes to job success.
• Identify skills that are transferable from one occupation to another.

Standard 2: All students will use information, technology and other tools.

• Understand how technological systems function.
• Select appropriate tools and technology for specific activities.
• Demonstrate skills needed to effectively access and use technology-based materials through keyboarding, troubleshooting and retrieving and managing information.
• Use technology and other tools, including word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs to produce results.

Standard 3: All students will use critical thinking, decision-making and problem solving skills.

• Recognize and define a problem or clarify decisions to be made.
• Monitor and validate their own thinking.
• Interpret and analyze data to draw conclusions.
• Apply problem-solving skills to original and creative/design projects.

Standard 4: All students will demonstrate self-management skills.

• Set short and long-term goals.
• Work cooperatively with others to accomplish a task.
• Use time efficiently and effectively.
• Describe how ability, effort and achievement are interrelated.
  

Area 2: Activities:

Eagle Enterprises begins in 8th grade where students can participate in a Career Awareness Club. The purpose of this club is to provide special needs students with the extra skills that they need to become successful in the world of work. The program exposes students to certain employment-related skills. Students may then enroll in the Summer Youth Employment Training Program, a six-week program that combines educational training, on-the-job work experience and educational enrichment trips. The classroom component reinforces basic English, math and communication skills, as well as, teaching vocational skills.

Students will have the opportunity to work in the following areas: landscaping, recreational counselors, public works, warehouse, food service, childcare, custodial, secretarial and assistants to the district computer department.

Enrichment trips include visits to such places as: N.J. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Philadelphia historic district and Baltimore Inner Harbor. Funding for these trips is provided by profits from student-operated businesses.

Upon entrance into high school, students may participate in one or more of three student-operated businesses: Biz's Bagels, The Eagle's Nest School Store and The Eagle Greenery Flower Shop and continue in the Summer Youth Employment Training Program. Students in their senior year may enroll in a work-study program operated specifically for students who have participated in Eagle Enterprises activities during the previous 3 years.

Biz's Bagels teaches students to work in a small fast-food environment. The students enrolled in this business are freshmen. The shop is open from 7:00 to 10:00 every morning. The clientele of this business are faculty and staff giving the students a "protected" environment.

The Eagle Greenery gives students the opportunity to participate in a "working full service" flower shop. Students need to be at least a sophomore to enroll in this program. Students learn horticulture through direct hands-on experience. Students will perform all the duties included in a "real world" florist: fresh flower arrangements, bouquets, funeral flowers, wedding flowers and all other items found at a local florist.

The Eagle's Nest School Store gives students the opportunity to work in a small retail store. Students in this program have to be juniors or seniors. Students learn to operate a scanning cash register, program backroom support computer, complete bank deposits, receipts, merchandise, market, inventory, stock shelves, customer service and maintain a spreadsheet of the store's financial activity.

The students in all the businesses learn the importance of hard work and how important it is to keep a job.

Area 3: Outside Resources:

Students enrolled in our year round work program have positions throughout the school district. This gives them the opportunity to work in a sheltered environment and have an adult mentor. The mentors assist the students in learning the skills needed for their specific job. Two students work as assistant managers in the School Store and the Eagle Greenery. The Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection pays student salaries. This program also contains a classroom component where students learn how to: fill out a job application, write a resume, how to handle an interview and other skills needed to get and maintain a job upon graduation.

Eagle Enterprises in conjunction with the school district has solicited support from the local business community through the establishment of a partnership with the local Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection and Wakefern Supermarket Corporation, and other local industry representatives. This innovative school business marriage has converted the school store into a mini-mart with merchandise that goes far beyond the usual school fare. Over three-dozen students have been hired at two local ShopRite Supermarkets. Local florists have hired students for both full-time and seasonal positions. The seasonal positions can lead to full-time employment after graduation.

A major emphasis of each of these businesses is to teach the students the generic job skills they will need to enter the workforce upon graduation.

Eagle Enterprise students also have the opportunity to participate in a casino training program funded by the Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection and Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. These students have the opportunity to be trained in a casino game, receive their gaming license and be guaranteed a job upon completion of the program and graduation from high school. Students also have the option of participating in a job-shadowing program where they will learn the opportunities available to them on the "house side" of the casino industry. These students are not guaranteed a job but do get preferential consideration.

Area 4: Evaluation:

National studies done in the past show that classified students encounter a lot of difficulty obtaining and keeping employment after graduation. A study done in the past of students enrolled in the Eagle Enterprise program found that 78% of the graduates were employed in private industry, 68% were employed full-time, the remaining being part-time.

The community of Egg Harbor Township has embraced Eagle Enterprises as a successful "righteous cause." Involvement from the school community, parents and the community as a whole has increased dramatically over the years. The community does come in and buy flowers from our flower shop, as well as, purchase school clothing and get special order clothing through the school store. This increase is due to the quality of work our students are producing. Eagle Enterprises has become an integral part of the school and local community.

Area 5: Stability:

Eagle Enterprises has been in operation for 16 years and continues to have a positive influence on the "at-risk" population of Egg Harbor Township. The Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection, the Egg Harbor Township Board of Education and many of our partners have been committed to this program from its inception and continue to provide financial and moral support to the program.

Area 6: Endorsements:

Eagle Enterprises and the Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection have been partners for 16 years. Eagle Enterprises has been consistently excellent over all those years in assisting our "at risk" youth with their school to work transition. They find innovative and creative ways to help their students learn and understand the skills they will need to be successful after leaving high school. Eagle Enterprises is a model program that other schools have used to develop their own programs.

Michael Rhodes, President Atlantic/Cape May Job Connection

As a past School Board Member and frequent customer I am pleased to recommend that Eagle Enterprises of Egg Harbor Township High School be recognized for their excellent programs. These programs help prepare "at risk" students to enter the work force after graduation.

Eagle Enterprises offers the students an opportunity to learn various skills needed to run a business namely: inventory control, ordering, customer service and cashiering. The store has obtained a cash register with scanning capabilities so students are prepared to use this type of equipment when they are employed.

In my opinion, the students who take part in the programs offered by Eagle Enterprises are well prepared to become productive members of society and the work force.

George Dearborn, Egg Harbor Township Board of Education (retired)

An "Exemplary Program Award" is more than deserving for our Eagle Enterprises Program that has been a thriving, student-oriented business for sixteen years. With the creation of our own Greenery Flower Shop, High School Bagel Shop, a summer work program for the students, school spirit clothing sales promotion in our school store, and supplying work uniforms for our buildings and grounds staff, our "At-Risk" students and teachers have been instrumental in not only becoming a great service organization to our school district and community, but have significantly brought a tremendous sense of pride in each and every student's belief in themselves to become all that they can be ….

The students and their teachers are to be commended for all that they do for our school district in so many positive ways …

Bravo, Bravo to them!

Dr. Joy Miller, Assistant Superintendent, Egg Harbor Township Schools