Pittsburgh Public School's Career Exploration

VirtualJobShadow.com (VJS), a division of Strivven Media, is pleased to announce that Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will be gaining access to its interactive career exploration tools and workforce development resources. As a key part of the economic engine of a seven-county area in Western Pennsylvania, the school district recognizes the need to educate students to be both college- and career-ready. As the leader in providing interactive career exploration tools, VJS is committed to helping Pittsburgh schools make education exciting and relevant to real world challenges.

Like many areas of the country, the greater Pittsburgh region faces workforce gaps in key sectors such as healthcare, and especially healthcare technology. To address these gaps, the Pittsburgh Public Schools is implementing measures that align CTE programs at Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh Perry, Pittsburgh Carrick and Pittsburgh Brashear high schools as well as Pittsburgh Westinghouse 6-12 with current and future needs as defined by workforce development organizations such as the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board (www.trwib.org). Starting in Fall 2013, VirtualJobShadow.com will be integrated into the District’s CTE curriculum, enhancing an already extensive program, to provide further preparation for students planning to pursue two and four year college degrees, as well as those ready to join the workforce immediately.

Many CTE students wish to participate in traditional job shadow programs which have been successful throughout the country. However, liability, economic, and logistical issues often make these programs difficult for schools to implement. VirtualJobShadow.com provides students with an array of career exploration resources including HD digital job shadow videos, regionalized job, school, and internship searches, a resume builder, and much more.

Angela Mike, Executive Director of the CTE Program at the Pittsburgh Public Schools said, “When we first learned about VirtualJobShadow.com, we immediately saw how it would fit with the goals of our CTE program. Arranging traditional job shadows for so many students presents numerous challenges, especially related to budget and transportation, and VJS solves these issues easily for us. With VitualJobShadow.com, we can an offer shadowing experiences for all of our students using innovative engaging technology.” Strivven Media President

Strivven Media President Kim Celentano added, “We are excited to be adding the Pittsburgh Public Schools to our long list of schools that have recognized the need to better prepare students to be both college and career ready, to meet the 21st century workforce demands that face cities like Pittsburgh. The addition of VirtualJobShadow.com to the District’s toolkit should reap immediate results by attracting more students into the CTE programs, and more regional employers to partner with the school district. Forging and strengthening business and education partnerships is a critical component to mitigating critical workforce skills gaps.”

Due to the tremendous response VJS has seen in the Pittsburgh area, the company is now developing a Pittsburgh area-centric version of its program, featuring digital job shadow videos with regional employers, emphasizing some of the most in-demand career fields. Employers in the region who wish to have their employees featured in this educational and workforce development program are invited to contact Regional Manager Ed Burgess, at ed@strivven.com, or call (888) 908-4924, ext. 6