Job Shadow day at MCHS

Several students from Methodist Children’s Home Charter School (MCHS) got a glimpse of the workforce recently during a job shadow day. The four selected students spent the morning at Allen Samuels automobile dealership to learn about the business and the education and skills needed to become successful in the industry.

The job shadow day was part of an initiative by the Heart of Texas P-20 Council, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Waco Business League, and Prosper Waco. Samantha Dove, instructional coach at MCHS, attends the P-20 council meetings and coordinated the event for our students.

“The mission of P-20 is to create a clear pathway for students to follow from Pre-K to postsecondary education and on into the workforce,” Dove said. “Without a clear pathway to college and beyond, many students get lost and leave high school without clear educational career goals. P-20 is looking to reduce the number of lost students leaving high school by providing initiatives that are intended to give students a glimpse into what it would be like in a future career of their choosing.”

Dove received a list of participating businesses and the selected students chose to visit the car dealership. On March 4, the senior girls were taken on a tour that began in the sales area and led into management so that they could see how employees start in the business and work their way up.

“The students enjoyed the shadowing experience and came out with a new sense of drive and direction,” Dove said. “They began talking about the possibilities of what they could do after graduation and how they could reach the new goals they set at job shadow day.”

MCHS hopes to expand the program in the future to more students and businesses.

“We believe all of our students could benefit from job shadow day and we are looking to increase participation in the years to come,” Dove said.