Some might think that middle school is too early to talk about preparing for the skills needed for tomorrow's technology, but at Citizen Schools we think that the middle years are the best time.
When students start to explore their interests, connections to professionals in the industry can take the mystery out of what a laboratory looks like, the day-to-day tasks of an engineer, or the educational path an IT professional took. Citizen Schools partners with public middle schools in low-income communities to expand the school day. In the extra time, students receive academic assistance and work with volunteers from companies like Cisco and Google on hands-on projects called apprenticeships. These apprenticeships spark students' imaginations and help to build the skills necessary to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. To find out more about volunteer opportunities in your area, please visit http://www.citizenschools.org/volunteer/.
Cisco employees are among Citizen Schools' largest contingent of "Citizen Teacher" volunteers. Since 2009 125 Cisco employees have led 10-week student apprenticeships to expand the learning day for children in low-income communities. For more information, visit: http://csr.cisco.com/casestudy/citizen-schools
Citizen Schools
This piece is part of Cisco's series on the workforce of the future. As the worldwide leader in networking, Cisco is committed to helping people develop the technology and career skills they will need to succeed in tomorrow's workforce. Learn more at http://csr.cisco.com/pages/workforce-readiness