Student Training & Career Pathways
Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, all ninth-grade students will participate in a full day of Corporate Work Study Program curriculum. This replaces the one day per week that would typically be spent at job partner sites. With CWSP partnerships in flux, and increased demands for advanced soft and technical skills, this training ensures a consistent work experience for all students and better prepares freshmen for their eventual job placements.
Each Friday, freshmen will take courses that include Executive Functioning, Professional Skills, Intro to Excel, Mastering Word & PowerPoint, Career Exploration, and Cristo Rey Resources. This exciting initiative will integrate classroom and workplace skills, leading to students who are more prepared for their work assignments and engaged in academic pursuits. It will strengthen the CWSP; students will have advanced soft skills and technical acumen that will improve their utility and keep the program relevant and competitive.
In 2024-2025, the CWSP launched a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program. Through this program partnership with Dominican University, a cohort of junior and senior students took coursework and participated in clinical sessions before taking a state certification exam. Going into 25-26, these students will work as practicing CNAs at Loyola University Hospital, with other healthcare facility placements lined up to receive the next cohort. This pilot paves the way for other career pathways programs in development. The goal is to have students receive professional certifications as high schoolers that they can use during their CWSP placements and carry with them as they navigate their post-secondary careers.
The school seeks an investment in the programming costs for these new initiatives, and an investment in the students to ensure that this experience is affordable for all families.
There are opportunities engage with these initiatives to further the career pathways program. Please reach out to Taylor Sticha, Director of Strategic Initiatives to learn more.
