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Business Partners of the Year: Union County
2010—Grotto Engineering, LLC
Since 2002, Groffo Engineering has served the Union County Magnet High School by agreeing to place internship students in positions within the company and acting as mentors to many district students. The opportunity gives students the experience of engineering in a real job setting. A recent example of a student work opportunity was the mapping of storm water collection svstems in Clark and Kenilworth. As a result, students were able to assist the municipalities in saving money while providing a record of lasting value for the communities. Last spring Grotto Engineering provided two exceptional students with stipends to assist in their continued studies, documenting the students' achievements in a letter of recognition. Through their commitment to career and technical education, companies like Grotto assist in students' successes.
2009—Honeywell International
Honeywell International has been a long-time supporter of all programs at Union County Vocational-Technical Schools. During the past year, Honeywell provided a $30,000 grant to the district to develop a green technology teacher training program. They supported the curriculum development process and provided the opportunity for middle school teachers to learn about energy efficiency, sustainability and other environmentally sensitive concepts. The hands-on program was an interactive experience to help educators learn the latest methods for teaching green and substainable topics to middle school students, using the Vo-Tech campus as a laboratory for green technology, sustainable living and environmental consciousness. The curriculum was designed by UCVTS teachers and combined experienced school staff with Honeywell experience, tools and experts.
2008—New Jersey Youth Corps
New Jersey Youth Corps has been an active supporter of the Union County Vocational-Technical School District for many years. New Jersey Youth Corps sponsored a division of Youth Corps in the city of Plainfield, meeting many of the needs of out-of-school youth in the community through a program of community service. The initial program has since been expanded to include a return to high school through the district's Adult High School program. The success of the Plainfield program spawned a similar program in the city of Elizabeth.
2007—Novo Nordisk Inc.
A partnership between the Union County Academy for Information Technology (AIT) and Novo Nordisk Inc., an international pharmaceutical company, began in 2006. Novo Nordisk information technology executives and managers collaborated with school administrators to develop a series of authentic experiences tailored to the needs, interests, and skills of students attending AIT.
About 20 students visit Novo Nordisk headquarters and participate in an annual "IT Expo" to gain insights into the rapidly changing world of business IT solutions. Novo Nordisk professionals visit AIT and present an "IT Career Day" where more than 200 students are introduced to varied IT career paths. Students enroll in a project-based high school course in which a team of students work under the technical direction of Novo Nordisk project managers to create IT products that support Novo Nordisk business needs. Senior students have the opportunity to visit Novo Nordisk headquarters to "shadow" an IT professional.
2006—Wakefern Food Corporation
The Union County Vocational-Technical High School formed a partnership between Wakefern Food Corporation, Shop Rite Stores, Inc. and the district's self-contained special needs supermarket program. The partnership, now in its second year, places strong emphasis on the integration of career awareness and planning, with the teaching of employability skills in a real-time situation. By transporting students to a local supermarket three days per week, the off-site supermarket becomes the classroom where students engage in structured learning. The program creates an extension of an approved vocational program at a remote site while creating a student experience that exemplifies teamwork, leadership and interpersonal communication. This partnership also enables each student to assess his or her own personal qualities and correlate those with qualities necessary to obtain and hold a job within the industry. Finally, the program raises student awareness of academic and career skills necessary for success in school and the community, including decision-making, punctuality, time management and teamwork.