Career-Based Service Learning
Career-Based Service Learning combines traditional community service with a structured school- and work-based opportunity to explore a career field, emphasizing the connections between the service experiences, career readiness skill development and academic learning. Students benefit by acquiring career-related skills and knowledge while learning civic responsibility and gaining personal satisfaction. Service learning can be short-term projects and can be individual, team or classroom oriented.
Benefits
- Students apply knowledge, critical thinking, and good judgment to address genuine community needs.
- Engages students in experiential, hands-on projects in the community while deepening their understanding of an area of career interest.
- Develops skills, habits, and attitudes vital to career success.
- Helps students understand the needs of their local business and non-profit organizations and agencies.
- Provides the context in which students can gain organizational, team, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, along with attitudes and capabilities necessary to succeed in work and life.
Success Factors
- Allow students to design and select the career-based service learning activity.
- Provide classroom preparation for the career-based service learning.
- Have students conduct preparatory research and report on the community/business/non-profit organization need.
- Coordinate a planned series of activities with students to allow them to apply their skills and knowledge to help meet a need in the school or greater community.
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and contribution to the business, non-profit organization or agency.