Nov 21, 2015
BTE Student Stories
Bridge to Employment (BTE) – Caguas, Puerto Rico was an outgrowth of Johnson & Johnson’s School-to-Career initiatives with Notre Dame High School to reach out to at-risk youth.
The School-to-Career Learning Center engaged more than 100 young people in programs aimed at enhancing students’ personal and academic skills. The Center developed curricula to support student achievement in Spanish, Math, English, Science and Technology, while providing additional supports to foster character, leadership, self-esteem, motivation, responsibility, decision-making, community relations, and healthy family relations.
Through BTE, students were also introduced to career opportunities within the health care industry and gained career-building skills including resume preparation, interviewing, and public speaking skills development. To strengthen the link between academic learning and the world of work, presentations by guest speakers, site visits to health facilities, and internships in various business fields were key components of the program. All students participated in internship rotations.
The success is clear. Staff at the School to Career Learning Center report, “100% of our students graduate from high school and are accepted into universities.”