Summer is a Good Time for Kids to Job Shadow

Washington, DC—In between summer camp and soccer fields, kids may sing the summer-time blues of “I’m bored.” One thing a parent can do to keep his or her kids occupied this summer is to have them participate in a job shadow activity.

“Summer has traditionally been a time for high school and college internships, so it makes sense to have your teen ‘job shadow’ you at your place of work during this time,” said Keith Gall, Executive Director of the Job Shadow Coalition.

Unlike internships, a job shadow activity may involve young people spending a day or two at a place of work where they get to explore various career options. Summer is a good time to have teens shadow their parents at work. Not only can they learn more about what their parent does, they can explore other careers at the workplace that might tie to their interests. For instance, in a traditional office setting a teen may have an opportunity to explore careers in finance, marketing, sales, distribution and operations.

The National Job Shadow Coalition has free materials available for parents to use to set up their own job shadow activity at www.JobShadow.org.

About Job Shadow

Job Shadow 2008 is a yearlong national effort to enrich the lives of students by acquainting them with the world of work through on-the-job experiences and a carefully crafted school curriculum that ties academics to the workplace. The effort helps young people understand how what they learn in the classroom leads to success in the workplace.

The National Job Shadow Coalition encourages young people across the country to explore their futures through career awareness and mentoring opportunities. Formed in 1998, the coalition includes America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth, JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement), AT&T, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Labor. The national title sponsor is the Best Buy Children’s Foundation. Other sponsors include Cisco; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice; and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

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