The continuum illustrates a non-linear path from career awareness to exploration to preparation, with a myriad of activity options. The various work-based learning activities do not fall into hard and fast, siloed buckets, and just like with any continuum, some of the activities straddle more than one category. Not all of the activities along the continuum fit the definition of work-based learning on their own, but they are all critical components that support the overarching goals.

For more information download the Alabama Work-Based Learning Handbook.

Awareness activities expand the possibilities that students consider as viable career options. These activities begin in the earliest stages of education and are an essential way for students to increase their awareness of personal interests and talents. Awareness activities are foundational to eventual success in WBL, but do not meet the definition of WBL on their own.

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Job shadowing is an effective tool for increasing awareness and exposure to careers. Individuals can use the information gained from a job shadowing experience to determine if a general career field is of interest to them.

Job shadowing provides students with more exposure to both careers and workplaces as they interact with and observe one or more employees. They can learn about the nature of the job and the work environment, as well as the required education and training. Students can participate in more than one job shadowing opportunity, allowing them to compare careers of interest.

Most effective implementations of career expos include preparation activities to guide learning, as well as follow-up discussions to answer questions that were generated and extend learning. Each Regional Workforce Council hosts Career Expos for 8th Graders, (WOW-Worlds of Work, WOO-Worlds of Opportunity, Career Discovery, etc.) Some other very good career fairs are hosted by the high school CTE programs for younger students, which gives the older students an opportunity to serve as ambassadors to the younger students and share with them why they might want to explore careers in this pathway

Industry tours broaden awareness about local career opportunities and increase knowledge about the many jobs available within a business or geographic area, beyond those jobs that might typically come to mind. They also can help dispel misperceptions about certain kinds of jobs that might have traditionally been thought of as “dirty”.

Industry tours with students typically occur with middle and high school students. They are also very effective with groups of educators, providing some of the most impactful professional development available.

Industry tours are often coordinated by local Economic Development Authorities, Regional Workforce Councils, and Chambers of Commerce.

When students have identified a specific career of interest, they should have long-term and firsthand engagements working in the career fields of their interest. These experiences are designed primarily to give students extensive practice in applying fundamental, practical and technical knowledge and skills in the career of their choice. Career preparation experience take place over a longer period of time and involve more responsibilities.

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One of the most common uses of clinicals and practicum experiences is within the medical field. Clinical experience gives health science students an opportunity to integrate knowledge gained in the classroom with clinical practice. During clinicals, students are placed in a variety of healthcare settings and spend time observing patients at different stages of medical practice. This provides students with a better understanding of the scope of the profession. Similarly, students in education and social work pathways participate in field and practicum experiences where they have the opportunity to apply what they are learning.

Some clinical and practicum field experiences are paid, while some are specifically prohibited from being paid placement. This determination is normally made by an accrediting body when there is a licensure requirement involved in the occupation.

Internships are widely used across industry sectors as a way to let participants get a taste of what it’s like to work in a given industry or specific occupation. The depth of involvement of interns can vary greatly from one placement to another. Some interns are closely mentored while working with a person in a very specific occupation, while others are provided a broader opportunity to explore various roles within an organization. Internships arranged through academic institutions may be associated with academic credit while other internships are directly established by employers as a recruitment tool for new talent.

Teacher preparation programs often use student teaching internships as the capstone to degree programs. Teacher interns are provided opportunities to demonstrate the content knowledge they have gained in methods courses under the supervision and guidance of a mentor teacher. When employers establish internship programs themselves, the program may have no connection with academic credit. Some companies use summer intern programs as evaluation periods prior to making job offers to new talent.

The critical defining characteristic of on the job learning (OJL) is the connection between academic study and real-world learning experience. This connection sets OJL apart as a more specifically career focused activity than a more general CoOp placement. Participants in OJL are not only seeking work experience and employability skills, but they are also learning the technical skills necessary for the career they are pursuing.

The connection of OJL to training for a specific occupation is one of the factors considered that sometimes makes WIOA funding available to support employers with program implementation.

Pre-apprenticeships are designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship and ultimately a career. Pre-apprenticeship programs offer participants structured training opportunities to prepare them for entry into a Registered Apprenticeship Program. They can provide a set of services that participants need to progress into an apprenticeship, such as work-readiness skills and wraparound supports for transportation and childcare.

The Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (AOA) has developed a certification process based on national models and best practices. The AOA certification designates quality pre-apprenticeship programs that incorporate all of the following elements:

Learn more and apply for certification at www.alapprentice.org

Five components of all Registered Apprenticeships:

Registered Apprenticeship is a business-driven model that provides an effective way for employers to recruit, train, and retain highly skilled workers. Registered Apprenticeship is a proven model of job preparation that combines paid on-the-job learning with related instruction to progressively increase workers’ skill levels and wages. In addition, apprenticeships allow employers to develop and apply industry standards to high-quality, structured training programs, therefore increasing productivity and the quality of the workforce.

Apprenticeships are esteemed opportunities. Apprenticeships afford participants a chance to earn money while they learn in a non-traditional classroom setting. The earn-and-learn model provides apprentices an opportunity to see a direct relation between their increasing skills and increasing wages. Apprenticeship programs are one of the most effective ways to reach our labor force participation and attainment goals and to ensure that Alabamians are on career pathways leading to economic mobility and self sufficiency. Registered apprenticeships are unlike regular training models developed by education and delivered to employers. Instead, they are developed by education providers.

As students begin to focus on careers of interest, they should be provided opportunities to get involved directly with people actively working in those careers. Career exploration experiences encourage students to develop personal career interests, a better understanding of various career pathways, and the workplace readiness skills needed to begin making informed decisions about secondary and postsecondary education and training.

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Employability skills are basic skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. These skills have many names— soft skills, workforce readiness skills, career readiness skills—but they all include the same set of core skills that employers want. Employability skills are an essential component of college and career readiness. Alabama has an industry-developed, state-recognized employability skill program called Ready to Work. RTW is offered as pre-employment training through AIDT, many high schools, and community colleges. For more information, visit alabamareadytowork.org.

Sometimes formal employability skill training is finite, but every successful WBL program has a strong focus on continued learning of employability skills. Many educators or workforce training professionals already teach essential employability skills in their academic or technical skill classes, not just in an independent stand-alone activity. Most common skills listed by employers are: Showing up to work every day and on time, keeping cell phones put away at all times, getting along with other employees, and being able to pass a drug test.

The Alabama Simulated Workplace model transforms CTE classrooms into a company setting that introduces students to business processes using distinct workplace components. By incorporating realistic workplace content like interviews, applications, employee manuals, and promotions for skill gains, simulated workplaces transform the classroom into an experience to prepare students with more than just content knowledge.

In any high-quality simulated workplace, there will be active employer advisory committees that help determine what the lab setup should be and how to make the simulation look like the real world. Initial and continuous employer input is essential so that programs are as much like the real work environment as possible.

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods/services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning. SBEs provide realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction. SBEs can sell to consumers through a permanent location, a mobile kiosk or through Internet marketing. Products may include spirit wear, food and beverage items, school supplies, signs and banners and more, while other SBEs provide services such as creative design, advertising sales and more. School-based enterprises are effective educational tools in helping to prepare students for the transition from school to work or college. For many students, they provide the first work experience; for others, they provide an opportunity to build management, supervision and leadership skills.

The Alabama Workforce Council has recommended externship placements as a way for career coaches, counselors, and teachers to expand their own knowledge of career fields available to their students. Individuals providing guidance to students on selecting career paths are better prepared with firsthand knowledge and in-depth experience when discussing options with students. Externships can be arranged by school systems, individual employers, or employer associations.

Cooperative Education represents a cooperative agreement between an employer and an educational institution. Students participating in CoOp gain employability skills and industry experience. Cooperative Education is one of the most widely used forms of work-based learning and has seen a major resurgence in popularity in recent years. This form of training is commonly used in both secondary and postsecondary programs.

Successful CoOp implementations are built on flexible scheduling models established between the employer and the school. These arrangements are mutually beneficial, allowing for the student to continue academic study while providing value to the employer. Students are able to earn money while employers are able to fill entry-level jobs. A key distinction from some other types of WBL is that not every CoOp placement is tied to the field of study for the student

Internships are widely used across industry sectors as a way to let participants get a taste of what it’s like to work in a given industry or specific occupation. The depth of involvement of interns can vary greatly from one placement to another. Some interns are closely mentored while working with a person in a very specific occupation, while others are provided a broader opportunity to explore various roles within an organization. Internships arranged through academic institutions may be associated with academic credit while other internships are directly established by employers as a recruitment tool for new talent.

Teacher preparation programs often use student teaching internships as the capstone to degree programs. Teacher interns are provided opportunities to demonstrate the content knowledge they have gained in methods courses under the supervision and guidance of a mentor teacher. When employers establish internship programs themselves, the program may have no connection with academic credit. Some companies use summer intern programs as evaluation periods prior to making job offers to new talent.

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