When you were in high school, what did you imagine your future looking like? Was the picture clear or blurry?
This fall, Avenue Scholars (lincolnteammates.org) helped bring that mental image into focus for almost 300 Omaha high school students. From September through November, the program hosted almost 30 Career Awareness events at workplaces throughout the Omaha metro aimed at exposing participating Scholars to potential career opportunities. The events, held in partnership with 26 local businesses, involved on-site visits focused on teaching Scholars about different jobs available within a given industry, and about the education or certification needed to attain them. Many included hands-on, interactive workshops: At Hawkins Construction Company, for example, Scholars had the chance to operate a construction equipment simulator.
The program was structured to provide Career Awareness experiences in each of Avenue Scholars’ six priority career pathways: healthcare, the skilled trades, transportation, information technology (IT), business and education. Partnering businesses included Children’s Nebraska, Millard Public Schools, Truck Center Companies, Security National Bank, the Nebraska Apartment Alliance, Cox Communications and others.
Career Awareness is just one of many career-oriented programs Avenue Scholars provides participants throughout the year. In December, Avenue Scholars hosted three full days of Mock Interviews, in which Scholars from all 13 participating high schools engaged one-on-one in simulated job interviews with working professionals from across the city.
In January, Avenue Scholars will hold an Internship Fair, which aims to place Scholars in open internships at businesses in their area of interest. For more information, contact Director of Communications Blake Ursch at bursch@avescholars.org.