April 11-14 marks the official “Week of Work” here in South Dakota! The Week of Work initiative was established a few years ago to introduce middle and high school students to career opportunities in their communities and across the state through job shadows, industry tours, and other business-classroom connections. As a long-term investment in South Dakota’s future, Week of Work is intended to engage students in local businesses and introduce employers to their future workforce.
Thanks to the hard work of our school counselors’, success coordinators, and teachers, along with our outstanding community partners and the unique course offerings at the high school level, including our CTE Academy, the Sioux Falls School District is proud to offer many of these opportunities for our students year-round!
With that said, helping students plan for the future starts early here at SFSD. Starting in 8th grade, students are given numerous opportunities to connect their interests, skills, and natural abilities to a career cluster they can pursue throughout their high school career. Events like Pizza Pop and Powertools, a unique experience for 8th-grade girls where they get to meet women in various industries while learning to use powertools, work heavy equipment, form concrete, and weld. To opportunities like Junior Achievement Inspire, an event for all 8th-graders that brings together the business community and our schools to help launch middle school students into their future careers by meeting with industry leaders and participating in hands-on activities. And Women in Science Day at Southeast Technical College. All of these unique experiences help middle school students start working towards their future.
Stay tuned throughout the week as we will continue to highlight the different ways we help all of our students think about their future with post-high school planning!
