What is Groundhog Job Shadow Day and Job Shadowing 2008?
Groundhog Job Shadow Day, now in its tenth year, will be held on February 2, 2008. This will be the national kickoff to a yearlong initiative that gives students across America the chance to "shadow" a workplace mentor as he or she goes through a day on the job. This provides young people nationwide with an up-close look at how skills learned in school are put to use in the workplace. More than one million students and 100,000 businesses will participate in Job Shadowing 2008.

How Did Groundhog Job Shadow Day Get Started?
Many middle school and high school kids previously didn't have the opportunity to explore various career options first hand by visiting a workplace. In 1996, the first local Job Shadow Day was conducted in Boston. In 1997, the National Job Shadow Coalition was formed to encourage participation in a shadowing initiative across the United States. The goal was to help young people explore firsthand the skills and education needed to succeed in today's and future job markets, and to encourage the development of relationships between students and caring adults. Given the current economy, students need these valuable experiences more than ever.

When is Groundhog Job Shadow Day?
February 2, 2008 is the kickoff to Job Shadowing 2008, a yearlong initiative. Punxsutawney Phil may see his shadow on Feb. 2 this year, but hundreds of thousands of employees will see their shadow too as part of Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

How does North Brookfield High School participate in Job Shadowing?
Senior students from North Brookfield High School participated in Job Shadow Day 2003 and we have had an even wider participation each year since! Junior and Senior students who are interested in participating should talk with Ms. Scully, our Guidance Counselor, and/or contact the JobShadow Coordinator by email. Mentors must be selected and paperwork completed before Christmas vacation to participate on February 2, but a jobshadow experience can be set up at any time of year.

How is it different from other career education initiatives?
Groundhog Job Shadow Day gives kids a chance to explore various careers beyond what their parents may do for a living. Job shadowing also provides an opportunity for students in at-risk situations to be exposed to various career options they otherwise might not have the chance to explore.

Does Job Shadowing make a difference?
A recent survey released by Junior Achievement (JA) indicates that American middle and high school students have unrealistic views of their future careers. Job shadowing is increasingly important for students because it acquaints them with the world of work through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace throughout the year. In fact, according to the poll, one-third of students learned about career choices from job shadowing.

Who sponsors the Job Shadow Initiative?
Job Shadowing 2008 is a joint initiative of a coalition that includes America's Promise, Junior Achievement and the U.S. Department of Labor. Job Shadowing 2008 is supported through a national sponsorship by Monster.com and a co-sponsorship from News Corporation.

Where will Groundhog Job Shadow Day 2008 take place?
At more than 100,000 participating businesses and organizations (any place where there are working people) across the country. Participating businesses coordinate and support employees to serve as workplace mentors for Job Shadowing 2008. In previous years, the following Job Shadowing activities took place:

· National sponsor Monster, including CEO Jeff Taylor, hosted 75 students
· Students shadowed on-air hosts at NBC's Today show and CBS' The Early Show
· Marriott properties nationwide hosted more than 4,000 students
· Students shadowed at Best Buy and Home Depot locations nationwide
· Students shadowed at all 2,750 Wal-Mart and 490 Sam's Club stores around the nation
· Nineteen-year-old Phil Dade CEO of APConnection.com was the youngest adult to be shadowed
· Atlanta students shadowed at BellSouth, Coca-Cola, GE Capital, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and United Parcel Service
· Former Miss Hawaii, Billie Takaki, was on hand with her shadow as the Governor of Hawaii signed a proclamation.
· NYC students shadowed at television stations WABC, WNBC, WNYW and WPIX and visited local deejays Elvis Durn and "Goumba Johnny.
· Nashville hosted a "Music Row Groundhog Job Shadow Day," where students shadowed at major music companies, the Ryman Theatre and the Grand Ole Opry
· Students shadowed Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and Boeing test pilot Suzanna Darcy
· Rite Aid Pharmacies, one of the nation's leading drugstore chains, hosted Groundhog Job Shadow Day events for approximately 300 students at more than 100 locations nationwide

Past workplace mentors include:

· Former President H.W. George Bush
· Secretary of State Colin Powell
· Governor Jesse Ventura and hundreds of other Governors, Mayors and other elected officials
· Monster.com CEO Jeff Taylor
· Miss America Angela Perez Baraquio
· Today Show anchors, Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Ann Curry.

How can students participate if they can't Job Shadow in the workplace?
In addition to the students who shadow an adult in person, thousands more will explore a typical day of 30 different professionals through "virtual job shadowing," the yearlong online component of Job Shadowing 2008. Sponsored by Monster.com and the Job Shadow Coalition, students visiting www.jobshadow.monster.com can access numerous interactive career exploration tools. For example, the "Major-to-Job Converter" shows students how academic majors translate into real job descriptions. Numerous educational games, such as "Office Frenzy," provide an insightful and fun look at multi-tasking and the ability to prioritize.

North Brookfield Public Schools
School-to-Career Program
Click to Contact Us by email : Job Shadow Program