Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

The Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) has expanded their Youth Apprenticeship Program, which allows students the chance to gain work experience in career fields of interest to them. 

In coordination with local businesses in the City of Whitewater, WUSD has worked to develop a program for the upcoming summer and school year that offers high school students ages 16-18 real life experience in jobs they are interested in.  During the 2022 spring semester, the Whitewater Unified School District will host a career fair on January 19th where students can discuss apprenticeship opportunities with local employers.

To aid students as much as possible, Whitewater High School will assist students in building resumes, maintaining proper work etiquette, and hosting mock interviews.  There will then be a follow-up job fair on March 16th which will give students the opportunity to go through the hiring process with businesses of their choice. 

The WUSD Career Fair is set for January 19th, 2022 from 5-7 p.m. and the WUSD Job Fair is set for March 16th, 2022 from 2-4 p.m. Both will take place at Whitewater High School. 

“Our goal is to empower and engage students to start thinking about their future,” said Family/Community Engagement Coordinator, Molly Fuller. “The Youth Apprenticeship Program is a great way to let students test out different job paths and give them an advantage when it comes to college applications and future job searches.”

Once hired for their apprenticeship, students will begin training through the high school from March up until work begins on June 1st. Typically, youth in this program will work at their job of choice for about eight hours per week, completing roughly 450 hours in a year.  

The WUSD is dedicated to making sure this process is equally beneficial for both the youth and the businesses that participate. To ensure students are providing their best efforts, the high school will be consistently contacting employers for updates on students’ performance. 

The Youth Apprenticeship Program will continue to grow over the next few years and will eventually provide younger students with opportunities to get them thinking about their career at an earlier age. The WUSD will continue to allow extra accommodations for anyone interested in this program, and urge as many students as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.

For further information, contact Molly Fuller, Family/Community Engagement Coordinator at: mfuller@wwusd.org  or learn about updates at https://www.facebook.com/wwusd.