Sacramento, California, August 28, 2006 - Sacramento New Technology High School has chosen The Job Journey transitional skills training program in response to student demand for school-to-work training. Sacramento New Technology High School is a charter school, open to the public, based on the widely-recognized success of Napa New Technology High School. Napa Technology High School was created through the New Technology Foundation, formed in 1999 to achieve national educational reform and made possible by grants from the Carnegie Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Paula Hanzel, principal of Sacramento New Technology High School (New Tech), reports, "The Job Journey is the kind of program our students have asked for. They have told us they want to learn what employers are looking for, how to build self-confidence, how to market to their strengths, and how to get the good jobs. The Job Journey met every one of their criteria."
The Job Journey is an educational program that uses techniques based in business and education to prepare students for successful entry into the marketplace, and ultimately to create a sustainable and competitive workforce for America's businesses. Veteran HR executive, Generation Y expert, and work-life coach Barbara Dwyer created The Job Journey after observing the inability of Generation Y job applicants to pass the interview process and earn gainful employment. Currently in use by schools, youth advocacy groups, and businesses as an internship program, The Job Journey is currently the only program of its kind on the market.
New Technology High Schools present a new and vigorous educational paradigm, presenting learning through a project-based model. Classrooms are equipped similarly to many work environments - with PCs running Windows XP Pro and Microsoft ® Office. Assignments are given in the context of a project, rather than in an abstract format. Students complete portions of their assignments using MS Word, Excel, Access, and learn to make PowerPoint presentations and build a digital portfolio with multimedia elements. "It is a real-world, hands-on approach to learning. Students are issued challenging questions or tasks to which they must then apply the concepts they have learned, just as they will have to do in the working world. California Standards are addressed as individual components of projects, not in the traditional textbook manner," states Hanzel.
"We feel honored to be part of the success in New Tech's experiential approach to education," says Barbara Dwyer, CEO and founder of The Job Journey. "Many youth today exhibit an attitude of entitlement, but the students of New Tech are realizing that to be successful, both in business and in life, they must learn the skills that lead to success. The Job Journey leads students through well-defined and dynamic exercises to build essential soft skills, as well as learning what to expect when they apply for a job. This combination of knowledge and skills enables students to set tangible goals, successfully source for and obtain meaningful employment."
The Job Journey, www.thejobjourney.org is a Sacramento, California-based organization that prepares students who are entering the job market for the first time. The intense and highly interactive career preparation program is offered as a solution for schools and youth service programs, or as an independent-study package of four user-friendly DVDs with accompanying study materials. The Job Journey is produced by a uniquely qualified and highly motivated team of human resource, communication, and education professionals with a diverse and comprehensive skill set and a passion for their audience.
New Technology Foundation, www.newtechfoundation.org, supports the creation of new small high schools based on the Napa New Technology High School Model, thereby offering a concrete model for how national education reform can be accomplished. NTF is creating an NTHS Network across the country with schools in California, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois and Louisiana, with additional schools opening in North Carolina, Texas and New York over the next two years. For more information, visit the website, or phone (707) 253-6951.