New Capacities: Norwich, a collaborative led by United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, is partnering with Norwich Public Schools to launch Students, Out-Front, Active & Ready (SOAR), an after-school career exploration club at Kelly STEAM Magnet Middle School and Teacher’s Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School.
The goal of SOAR is to provide students with the tools to make better-informed decisions about the educational and career paths that align with their interests and skills and expose them to in-demand careers. By starting this program in middle school, students will be aware of the different pipelines and pathways available to them in high school to put them on a career pathway.
“Career exploration is beneficial to students early in their education,” said Stefanie Montejano, SOAR program teacher. “Students gain an understanding of the workforce and all the benefits that come along with meaningful employment. The SOAR program is designed to provide students a full view of career possibilities in Eastern CT. This program provides opportunities to interact with industry professionals and pipeline program graduates, as well as explore careers through on-line platforms and virtual reality headsets.”
In addition to various career interest assessments and fun supplemental classroom activities, students will also have opportunities to participate in career exploration field trips to in-demand industry businesses such as manufacturing and healthcare and participate in a civic engagement activity. SOAR also teaches basic employability skills such as critical thinking, communication, technology, and interpersonal skills with an emphasis on soft skills.
“Norwich Public Schools is very excited to partner with United Way and New Capacities on career exploration and employability skills,” notes Tamara Glover, Assistant Superintendent of Norwich Public Schools (NPS).
“Our students will benefit from learning about different industries and communication skills for years to come. Due to the demand and the accountability for focusing on the core basic subjects like math, reading, and writing,” Glover continues, “NPS students are not always afforded the opportunity to learn other valuable and transferrable skills such as what it means to be employable, customer service, and professionalism to name a few.
“We believe that our students at NPS are our future and deserve all that we can give them. This partnership will do just that.”
New Capacities: Norwich’s mission is to promote economic growth in the City of Norwich and to increase the number of financially stable households.
A poll conducted with local businesses identified the need for more extensive career exploration and employability skills training for students at early stages in their education.
Therefore, one of the main goals of New Capacities is to align the education system with these workforce needs. This includes education pipelines that lead to better paying jobs and careers for young adults in the Norwich community.
