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HOSPITALITY CAREER PARTNERSHIP EXPOSURE
Submitted by: Work and Learning Center, Madison, WI
The Work and Learning Center requires every student to complete a volunteer work experience in the hospitality sector. Reasons for Practice The WLC Hospitality Career Partnership Exposure began because the school's
Operation Fresh Start work experience was transferred from the second
semester to the third semester, due to changes in the age requirement.
The program coordinator wanted to develop two required voluntary job
sites experiences: Elder Care Career Exposure and Hospitality Career
Exposure. Both represented careers for which there was high demand locally.
Both were very physical and immediately rewarding for students-just
as the school's previously established construction job site exposure
had been. Length of Time in Effect The WLC Hospitality Career Partnership Exposure began in January 2001.
THE WORK AND Learnning Center (WLC) Hospitality Career Partnership Exposure takes place for eight weeks every semester. Another exposure, Elder Care Career Exposure, takes place the remaining eight weeks of the semester. Each semester, the program coordinator contacts hospitality employers to set up dates for interviews as well as the starting date for students (the first Monday following the interview date). All of the student interviews are scheduled for the first Friday of the first week of the semester. On the first day of class, the coordinator explains to the students that they will gain prep cook experience or work in a hotel for eight weeks, and then she reads descriptions of the individual placements. The hope is that placements can be chosen democratically. During the first week, the Hospitality Career Partnership Exposure coordinator spends time with the students discussing interview skills, filling out sample applications, and doing mock interviews to prepare for the interview day. After the students have interviewed for the jobs, they understand the requirements of that place of employment-plus WLC requirements-and they are ready to begin their eight-week hospitality job site exposure. Throughout the eight weeks, the students bring in their time cards
on Fridays and discuss and evaluate the work experience with the program
coordinator. She is in constant contact with the employer so that the
employer understands the close partnership he or she has with WLC. The
employer evaluates the student twice during the eight weeks and goes
over the evaluation with the student before sending it to the school.
The WLC Hospitality Career Partnership Exposure was developed with help from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. A WLC staff member spoke at a monthly dinner meeting of the city's restaurant asssociation in October 2000 and generated interest and help. She also spent many hours placing cold calls to local restaurants and hotels in order to generate a list of 20 businesses. After the first semester of implementation, the employers felt that they could trust their close partnership with the school. The program coordinator developed a true partnership with these businesses. It takes time, patience, and endurance to start this kind of relationship and to maintain it. The coordinator continues to be in contact and to provide updates to the Wisconsin Restaurant Association so that they are knowledgeable about the continuing relationships between WLC and Madison restaurant and hotel businesses. The local school district covers each student's Worker's Compensation.
Each student must have a work permit and a School-Work Training Agreement
signed by the student, parent, employer, and the principal. The School-Work
Training Agreement outlines the requirements of the Department of Workforce
Development Child Labor laws.
Janet L. Weitz Tel: 608-204-4340
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