Seventeen students at DHS have opted to be in the Work-Based Learning program instead of taking a traditional route for their senior year. Originally called co-op, short for cooperative education, this program is a method in which classroom education and work experience are combined. Seniors who co-op attend class for a certain number of hours each day and then head off to work, or vice versa.

There is a variety of jobs to choose from, ranging from working at the Mid-Michigan Hospital to the Midland Police Department. Senior Jeremy Andreski works at the law firm of Poznak Dyer Kanar Garchow. His jobs include printing out files, organizing material and carrying out copying tasks.

“I go to school for three hours and then I go to work for three hours,” Andreski said. “[The three hours of work] count as three A’s for my GPA and I also get paid.”

Senior Sarah Hirschi works at Dow Corning, scanning corporate card statements, processing new card applications, and works on other corporate card maintenance processes.

“[My experience has] been really good,” Hirschi said. “It’s super nice and Dow Corning is a great environment to work in. I’d recommend for everyone to consider [a co-op] their senior year.”

In order to qualify for Work-Based Learning positions, a minimum GPA of 2.5 must be earned before the completion of the first semester during junior year. Students must have completed at least one-half of a CTE program or be taking classes related to a career of their choice.  Some of these classes include Marketing, Accounting, Healthcare Technology, CAD, and Automotive Technology.

By Cindy Tae