SDP Partners with Attorney General and Businesses for Fourth Annual Career Week
Today, Attorney General Michelle Henry and and Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D., met with School District of Philadelphia students for the Office of Attorney General’s Fourth Annual Career Week, which partners with Philadelphia schools and businesses to introduce students to potential careers. More than 400 students from 15 high schools will participate in this year’s Career Week.
Attorney General Henry and Superintendent Watlington joined along with private and public sector leaders to discuss the various job duties, requirements, and educational opportunities with students that best position them to enter their field of interest.
The Office of Attorney General launched the Career Week program in 2019 as a way for Philadelphia area students to experience real-world job markets and meet leaders and executives working in many professions.
“These conversations empower students to pursue their dreams while providing key contacts to players within their areas of interest,” Attorney General Henry said. “I especially enjoyed networking with many ambitious young students who will, one day, fill essential positions in public service and give back to their communities.”
From March 13 – March 16, sophomores and juniors from various Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs throughout the District will connect with corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies aligned to their career interests. Career Week was created with the goal of exposing students to options for their future and showing them pathways to success. Equal access and exposure to career and educational opportunities plays an instrumental role in increasing the school-to-work and school-to-college pipelines.
Students were matched with a site visit that corresponded with their expressed interests and career goals. Groups spoke to representatives from the: Office of Attorney General Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sheet Metal Workers – Local 19, Barristers Association of Philadelphia, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, BIMBO Bakeries USA, Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, Audacy, SouthCo, United States Courts, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, WHYY, Philadelphia Opera, Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division and Public Health and Management Corporation (PHMC).
“We are extremely grateful for the partnership with the PA Office of Attorney General to create a week of experiences for our students that helps them explore different career pathways and their interests,” said Superintendent Watlington, Sr., Ed.D. “The world-class employers here in Philadelphia play an integral role helping us to prepare our students for their life after graduation and setting them up for success in the workplace.”
Students from the following schools are participating in Career Week:
- Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational School
- Walter B. Saul High School
- Swenson Arts & Technology High School
- Frankford High School
- Roxborough High School
- Thomas Alva Edison High School
- Northeast High School
- Roxborough High School
- Parkway West High School
- Lincoln High School
- High School of the Future
- Overbrook High School
- Strawberry Mansion High School
- Benjamin Franklin High School
- Kensington High School