Workforce Innovation

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Junior Achievement Job Shadow Day:
Preparing Tomorrow's Workforce

Junior Achievement Job Shadow Day is an exciting day for both students and employers. On Friday, February 1, 2008 students throughout the United States will spend part of the day in the workplace “shadowing” employees through a normal day on the job. Students engage in early career exploration that leads to better-informed career choices. Employers have the opportunity to present industry trends and career options to potential future employees in their own locales.

Meet Your Future Employees

Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay (JA), a nonprofit economic education organization, demonstrates to children and youth the importance of education and workplace success by bringing business leaders into the classroom for interactive and informative sessions.

In 1997, JA partnered with local businesses and community-based organizations to offer its first Job Shadow Day, begun as one piece of the national “America’s Promise” initiative. The event has been co-sponsored locally by NOVA since 2003. This annual one-day event is an opportunity for businesses to serve as role models for career-oriented youth and to showcase workplace skills to the next generation of workers.

By hosting youth at their work site for part of a day, businesses have the opportunity to promote their mission and values, provide a realistic look at workplace culture, and illustrate the skills and abilities necessary and desired in employees.

As an additional benefit to the business community, youth who are exposed to local businesses may be more interested in supporting these businesses through marketplace participation. Moreover, sharing with youth the realities and needs of business today will yield workers who are highly skilled, knowledgeable, and more focused in the future.

The Benefits of Participating

Although there are many benefits to businesses that participate in Job Shadow Day, it has been a constant challenge for program administrators to identify local companies willing and able to host youth for the event.

One of the many misconceptions about Job Shadow Day is that companies will be required to expend a significant amount of personnel hours in order to participate. The reality is that only one staff person is needed to coordinate in advance of the event, two hours of preparation are required for any staff person hosting students, and the event itself is scheduled to last no longer than half a day.

Some companies wonder whether the popular Take Your Child to Work Day is sufficient in promoting the link between education and work to youth. While it is true that Take Your Child to Work Day does provide insight into the realities of the working world, the event reaches only a small subsection of youth who are fortunate to have parents who are able to participate and the child is limited to the parent’s particular workplace. Job Shadow Day, however, reaches a greater diversity and number of youth and allows youth to explore a much wider cross-section of careers and work settings.

Some also question whether youth are truly interested in visiting a workplace, but experience has shown that interest is actually quite high among local teens. Over 1,600 Santa Clara County students were hosted successfully last year on Job Shadow Day and were provided with first hand, field exposure to the skills, education and rewards involved in a shadowed position. As one student said: “It helped me to understand the importance of school because going to school opens up more doors to success.”

An Investment in Success

Job Shadow Day allows a company an easy way to take proactive steps now to ensure its future corporate success and profitability. Although participating in the event requires a day’s investment each year, that small amount of time may mean a lifetime of success and achievement for Silicon Valley businesses, the youth, and ultimately the community.

Job Shadow Day provides time for youth and representatives of business to share information and ideas, so that both may grow from the interaction and develop more enriching and rewarding lives.

How to Get Involved

This year’s Job Shadow Day is scheduled for Friday, February 1, 2008, although companies are encouraged to get involved even if this date is not ideal. JA will coordinate any company-specific mentoring events throughout the year at no cost to business or youth.

If your company or organization would like to be involved or find out more about this annual event, please contact Mary Coates-Korpela at Junior Achievement by phone at (408) 988-8915 extension 203 or via email at jobshadow@siliconvalley.ja.org. You may also register online by clicking here.