6 Ways to Help Your High School Student Transition to the Workforce

Do you really need to go to college to be successful?

We all can think of tons of ways that people who don’t graduate from college can be successful, and can start building their future without any debt as soon as they graduate. That’s both the good thing, and the challenging thing…there are SO many ways!

Only 44% of Gen Z students report feeling prepared for their future, and even less report that they feel like high school classes are preparing them, so how can you fill in the gaps?

Here are six ways that you can help your student strategically narrow their choices and build a plan for their future that is going to save them lots of time and money along the way if college isn’t the right fit for them right now.

• Career Aptitude Testing: It’s hard to start a plan if you don’t know where to start. To help your student identify some career options that they already have some skills and aptitude for, you can help them complete a free test.  The FSCJ Career Coach helps you identify careers that are right for you and sorts them by education level needed. A SparkType Assessment is more traits based, and when you have the results of both tests, it can give you a ton of insight into possible careers.

• Internships: Summer breaks and senior years are made for internships! A great way to find the right fit is to try on a career for a short time. They will give them a lot of experience and they look stellar on a resume.  Fortunately for us in Northeast Florida, the Jax Chamber has provided us with the EarnUp portal, which is full of great internship opportunities.

• Apprenticeships: Many industries are realizing that it is not realistic to expect high schools to prepare students for careers with their needed skills, so apprenticeship programs are growing quickly. If your student doesn’t have a particular industry in mind, Apprenticeship.gov is a great portal to conduct a search for programs in your area.

• Earn While You Learn: If you know the industry that is most appealing to you, many professions and employers have Earn While You Learn programs that pay you to learn the intricacies of the profession. For example, the Electrical Training Alliance has a five-year, comprehensive program that prepares students to be a journeyman electrician. Butler Toyota has their T.A.C.T. program that allows students to get paid while exploring the automotive industry.

• Career Certificates: Employers are increasingly wanting to hire people with industry-specific skills, and career certificates can put young people at the front of the hiring line for a minimal, often free, cost. FSCJ has over 40 Technical Certificates and almost 20 Career Certificates that can be pursued with a high school diploma or GED. St Johns River State College also has dozens of College Credit Certificates and Career Certificates available.

• Temp Agency: If your student really wants to try out a wide variety of careers before committing to any of the above routes, working for a temp agency can allow them to try a bunch on without committing to a particular path. Randstad, All Purpose Staffing, and Labor Max Staffing are local companies that serve a wide array of professions.

If your high school student is ready to start building a career pathway after they graduate, employing one or more of these resources to help them build a comprehensive plan can help them save thousands of dollars and years of their life, while leading them to a bright and choice-filled future!