A special education program that completed its first year at Gillett High School helped students develop job skills by putting them to work at local businesses. Students participating in the Transition into Gainful Employment Resources (TIGER) program learned skills to become independent in the work force.
“We started this program because we saw the need for students to receive more job training and job explorations,” said Becky Ruechel, high school special education teacher. “I felt the best way to train students was to use real-life situations in community placements.”
Six seniors explored the unpaid work experiences, which included library aide, child care helper, maintenance helper, janitor and customer service. Students switched from job to job, and the variety of positions gave students a chance to explore likes and dislikes for each.
Gillett-area businesses participating were Sunshine Preschool, Earthhaven Museum, Gillett Public Library and Woodland Village Nursing Center.
Mike Riesch, director of Earthhaven Museum, said he was pleased with the arrangement. Students helped construct bridges on walking trails at the museum and interacted with the groups touring the facility.
“We really appreciated what these students have done,” he said. “It will benefit a lot of people. Their efforts will go on and on.”
The students assigned to Sunshine Preschool helped with clean-up and paperwork.
“The students got a view of child care besides just playing with kids,” director Rhonda Badeau said. “It benefited us because it freed us up, too. Any time we get a project to support like this, we jump at the chance.”
Sandi Schneider, administrator of Woodland Village Nursing Center, also was satisfied with the program.
“It was positive all the way around, from the interview to hiring to having the kids here. We’ll definitely do it again next year,” she said.
Student Jeremy Rohde said he had a positive experience at Woodlands Village Nursing Center.
“I became friends with the residents there. That was pretty cool,” he said.
Rohde plans to attend the Blackwell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Laona to study welding.
“I loved it,” Kasey Wilson said of her placement in the kitchen at Woodland Village. “It’s helped me actually get a job in the culinary arts field, which I enjoy a lot.”
Wilson plans to attend Fox Valley Technical College’s culinary arts program in Appleton.
Students spent an hour twice a week for nine weeks at the job sites. The other three days were spent in the classroom, where they completed inventories to help them define their interests. Using that information, the students researched which job areas might suit them and what schooling and skills might be needed.
“We practiced job searches, filling out applications and preparing a resume,” Ruechel explained.
Role-playing in the classroom helped the students learn about job interviews. Ruechel said they discussed what made good employees, including qualities such as integrity, business ethics and honesty.
They worked to develop entry-level skills such as teamwork, cooperation, time management, decision making, responsibility and interpersonal skills.
“The kids have learned lots of great job skills and have learned to implement them on the job,” Ruechel said.
At the end of each job placement, employers provided an evaluation of the students’ performance so students could improve their skills.
“It was fun to watch the students grow as they learned new skills and were able to implement them and practice them in real-life situations,” Ruechel said.
Ruechel said some students liked their placements, while others, not so much. She took the opportunity to explain they might not like a job at first, especially starting out.
“Even if you don’t like a job, you need to do your job to get paid and to get a good reference,” she emphasized in the classroom.
Ruechel has shared the program with the Oconto and Peshtigo school districts, hoping it can expand to include more communities. She would like to see the program include juniors, as well as seniors, in the future.
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