YouthWorks Summer & Year Round
YouthWorks is a state-funded youth employment program that helps teens and young adults get the skills and experience needed to find and keep jobs. Participants take part in paid short-term work placements during the summer and/or school year at public, private and nonprofit worksites. 

Participants also receive training in core soft skills so they can practice professional behaviors and learn how to relate to supervisors and co-workers at their worksites as well as how to take the next steps in their education and career pathways. All YouthWorks programs use the Signal Success curriculum to help young people learn and practice the skills that matter at work, at school, and in life.

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Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership (GNBCAP)

MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board (GNBWB) Connecting Activities Initiative in partnership with The Greater New Bedford Career Center (GNBCC) & One SouthCoast Chamber ignite students’ passion for learning to support schools’ and districts’ priorities and allow civic and business organizations to shape America’s future workforce. Students experience rigorous, career-themed curricula, gain exposure to the workplace through site visits, job shadows, internships and have access to several opportunities for networking and learning from experienced business and industry professionals. Our Program Components of Career Awareness, Career Exploration, and Career Immersion give students in our region a plethora of opportunity to learn about careers and discover their future career pathway.

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Teacher/Faculty Externships

Teacher/Faculty “Externship” is a professional development strategy that allows teachers and faculty to learn through direct experience about trends, skill requirements, and opportunities in industries related to their areas of instruction in order to enrich and strengthen their teaching and bring relevance to student learning. Externships offer teachers exposure to the most current workplace practices, tools, and information, and an “on‐the‐ground” understanding of future economic and career trends that will affect their students.

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Teachers/Faculty also learn about the skills used in daily work processes and the levels of academic and technical competence required. In addition, externships provide teachers with specific and real examples about the kinds of teamwork, planning, decision‐making, problem‐solving, communication, and creativity employed in successful ventures and organizations.

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With this first‐hand exposure, teachers then design and implement classroom activities, projects, and work‐based learning opportunities for students that will deepen and add relevance and meaning to students’ classroom learning.  These opportunities connect classroom content with students’ future career interests and help students develop both the academic and technical skills required in the world they are preparing to enter.

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Teacher/Faculty externships also give employers the opportunity to inform educators about their expectations of employees in various career areas. Through the experiences, employers can offer direct input into the curriculum, thereby contributing to the preparation of their future workforce. Finally, externship experiences provide opportunities for employers and teachers to strengthen their relationships and build partnerships that can last beyond the externship.  Employers can participate further by serving as speakers or mentors, or by offering opportunities for tours, job shadowing or student internships.

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If you are interested in learning more about the GNBCAP and/or Teacher/Faculty Externship Programs, please contact one of our Youth Program Co-Directors listed below.   

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