Overview
To help provide its high school students with vocational training opportunities to support their transition to the workforce, Meriden Public Schools partnered with a local vocational technical trade school.
Approach
The district has a partnership with the local vocational school that allows for Meriden students to attend three of the vocational school's trade programs after school and earn credits, industry certifications, and apprenticeship hours.
"We launched a career academy, which allows our students to attend three of the vocational technical trade programs after school, and they earn credits, industry certifications, apprenticeship hours. We're actually expanding the program now, and we'll go from three to four shops in September - manufacturing, culinary arts, facilities carpentry - and we'll be adding automotive collision and repair. We're also expanding the partnership to include another site and a daytime program where our students will attend our high school classes in the morning, and then we'll transport them to the vocational school and they'll be able to work in those shops and earn their credentials there. It’s a creative way for us to be able to have our students earn credentials while still in high school." - Mark Benigni, Superintendent
In the coming year, students will be able to attend high school half of each day and the vocational school in the afternoons so that they don't have to use after-school time to earn credits.
This strategy is a part of TLA's Hop, Skip, Leapfrog release, which explores the concrete ways in which schools and systems pursued student-centered innovation during COVID-19. Explore the full guide to find additional strategies, insights, and resources.
Meriden provides an education to 8,600 students across twelve schools and alternative educational programs. Teachers, administrators and students have received awards and recognition from community, state and national organizations.