Business Academy offers another route for working dropouts

A new partnership of well-established Tacoma organizations will give young people who have dropped out a chance to complete high school and increase their career prospects. Bates Technical College, Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) and Communities in Schools of Tacoma (CIST) have created the Tacoma Business Academy for young adults ages 16 to 21 that are no longer in school and may be working in low-paying jobs. The academy will start this September.

The focus will be for students to complete high school and take business, marketing or information technology classes with the opportunity to explore other technical training programs. Students in the academy will be enrolled in TPS, and will also have access to other resources such as online learning and Bates’ program offerings.

“The school district and CIS has had a vision of this business academy for years for students who were disengaged in school,” said Anita Jinks, director of the TPS Career and Technical Education program. The original site considered for the academy was at the Tacoma Mall. When that site became unavailable, Bates Technical College stepped up to provide classroom space for the academy at its downtown campus. At this point, the academy partners have a one-year agreement.

Jinks said the business academy is a way to make high school more relevant for the students. The partners want it to be an innovative and personalized program – one that honors the students’ work-related experience and independence. The academy, a small program where everyone will know the students’ names, will serve about 50 students. Every student will have a customized learning plan to fit his or her schedule and needs.

“The Tacoma Business Academy will help these students by providing resources to overcome barriers that prevent them from getting to and staying in school,” Jinks said. “And, if they come back to school, we can help connect them with work credits so they will not have to leave their jobs.”

The students who will be served by the academy must not be enrolled at any high school must be between 16 and 21 years old.

The school district will provide the Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum. John Ruby, a TPS teacher, will teach the business classes full-time, while Janet Hopkins will serve as work site learning coordinator half time at the academy and work half-time at Oakland High School. Hopkins will also go to employers to sign up the students who will be learning while they work on their job sites.

CIST will provide a full-time coordinator who will help find job shadows and recruit volunteers, tutors and graduation coaches. “Our goal is to create a supportive environment for students’ personal growth by providing positive role models to help guide them through their course work as they earn credit towards their high school diploma,” said Teresa Maxwell, CIS executive director.

Jinks said that the high school completion program is not just about academics. “We want to see students engaged in school and making progress at school and at work. We’ll be checking their attendance and whether they complete their high school credits. In addition, we will document any promotions on the job to show work success and how students are enhancing their employability. Our plan is to ultimately connect our academy students to career opportunities in the business and marketing fields.”

The academy partners are also seeking volunteers to serve in a program advisory capacity, and businesses or organizations to host job shadows for the academy students. For more information, contact Communities in Schools of Tacoma Executive Director Teresa Maxwell at (253) 571-1114 or visit the CIST Web site at http://www.cisoftacoma.org.  

To enroll in the Tacoma Business Academy or for more information, call the TPS Career and Technical Education department at (253) 571-1126.

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