Anchor Project & Student Training
The Corporate Work Study Program continues to innovate to ensure that all students receive a professional work experience through their four years at Cristo Rey. Without a doubt, changes in the workforce brought about by the pandemic are now considered permanent, revealing long-term challenges to the legacy of this cornerstone program. While employees have returned to the office, hybrid environments and a demand for more advanced skills necessitated a shift in program operations.
To address this need, in 2023- 2024, all students received additional workplace training. Additionally, 100 freshmen and sophomore students participated in a full-day curriculum, receiving 250+ hours of instruction in STEM and technical skills, socioemotional learning, and financial literacy. Courses from Code Nation, Prismatic Movement, and the Economic Awareness Council, alongside career panels, office site visits, and a culminating entrepreneurship project ensured that they were prepared for future jobs and academic pursuits.
After a successful pilot, this work will continue in 2024- 2025. Excitedly, in addition to the full-day curriculum for select freshmen and sophomore students, upperclassmen are eligible to apply for a position in a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course. This program will be opened to interested junior and senior students at no additional cost. In lieu of a work study placement, and in conjunction with Dominican University- Chicago campus, these CNA candidates will take a full course including clinical sessions, culminating in a certification exam. These students will then have opportunities to work at Chicago-area health facilities as part of the CWSP, and in the future as they prepare for further careers in the health sector.
This expansion of training programs through the Anchor Project necessitates new CWSP funding. To support this work, Cristo Rey has developed the Anchor Fund. The Anchor Fund will support all aspects of training and related Corporate Work Study Program needs.
