When businesses, schools team up

By Wayne Kaplan

Every business leader in Southeastern Pennsylvania should be as invested in the outcome of education in Philadelphia as are the parents of our city's students. After all, these kids represent the workforce of the future, the very people we will one day hire to drive and perhaps lead organizations, as well as sit on our boards. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders. Ensuring their education is one of the best ways we can attract, retain, and grow talent in this region for years to come.

But how can the private sector best contribute to the education of our region's students - particularly at such a fragile and tenuous time for schools? Increasingly, the answer can be found in creative partnerships between employers and schools.

One such partnership is the Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School Work-Study Program.

A new model of private high schools, the Cristo Rey program focuses on rigorous, college-preparatory academics coupled with real-world work experience, serving students who come from households with very limited financial means. The average annual household income of a Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School student is $29,000.

Here's how it works: Students attend school four days a week at one of Cristo Rey's 26 Catholic high schools; five days each month, they report to a professional, paid job at an area company like Grant Thornton. The wages they earn underwrite the majority of the students' education. Think of it as a professional co-op for high school students.

This year, Grant Thornton welcomed four students from Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School to our offices. From September until June, the students - hailing from underrepresented communities in Camden, Philadelphia, and Upper Darby - will work at least a day a week in our office, gaining hands-on experience in human resources, marketing, business management, and administrative support.

The program appealed to us both as an employer and a corporate citizen. As an employer, we like the structure of the initiative; students are given meaningful projects with dedicated responsibilities. Another appealing factor was the accountability built into the program. Students are evaluated by both their work supervisors and their educators on a daily basis. They are learning valuable life lessons on capitalism and competition - every student knows that if he or she fails to deliver, another eager student is waiting to take his or her place. Last, as an employer that invests a great deal in identifying future talent, we like that this program ignites an early relationship that could lead to future, full-time employment in our organization or within a client's organization.

These students - the future leaders of our region - are not only being shaped into better employees, they are developing into better citizens of our communities. Creative partnerships like this one, between Philadelphia-area businesses and schools, can make a real difference in the lives of our region's youth. What's good for them will, ultimately, be good for all of us.