DETROIT, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan is partnering with several metro Detroit based companies to have their employees to serve as one-day mentors to high school students beginning on February 2, 2007, National Groundhog Job Shadow Day. The purpose of the area-wide event is to encourage young people to see the connection between what they are learning in school and what skills are needed in the workplace. Volunteers in businesses in Detroit and Southfield, Mich. will join their counterparts nationwide on February 2, 2007 in hosting one million student "shadows" for the day. Groundhog Job Shadow Day will be the start of a two- month long series of job shadows where Junior Achievement will connect high school students and area business people throughout metro Detroit.
"This is a great way to reinforce what educators are teaching by taking students to the workplace. The importance of doing well in school, thinking about your career and the value of completing your education take on a whole new meaning through this program," said Kathy Oswald, President, Right Management, and Chair of the JA Job Shadow Task Force in southeast Michigan.
Kicking off the Job Shadow initiative on February 2 are Right Management located in Southfield, Mich. and Detroit Chassis in Detroit. Right Management has sponsored Avondale High School in Auburn Hills, Mich. to partner, and Detroit Chassis has sponsored Hamtramck High School in Hamtramck, Mich. Both businesses will take young people into their workplaces to find out what skills and education are needed for the workplace of today and tomorrow. The "shadow" experience gives students a chance to explore career options beyond what their parents may do for a living.
In addition to Right Management and Detroit Chassis, lead school partner sponsors for the job shadow initiative include Compuware, Henry Ford Health System, Metaldyne, PVS Chemicals and Rock Financial. Additional job shadows will be scheduled throughout the next two months.
The mission of Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Groundhog Job Shadow Day is coordinated by JA Worldwide, America's Promise, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan
