Supermarket/Retail Program
Denville, New Jersey
Contact
Cecilia Kaczala
Job Coach
Morris County School of Technology
400 East Main Street
Denville, New Jersey 07834-2516
Phone: 973-627-4600x226
Fax: 973-627-6979
E-mail: kaczalac@mcvts.org
Website: www.mcvts.org
Mission
The mission of Morris County School of Technology (MCST) is to provide programs that offer students the opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills, and insights that enable them to make appropriate choices regarding their future and to develop personal and professional options for an evolving technical society.
MCST participates and supports the Morris County Partnership for Transition. The mission statement of the partnership is to empower young people with disabilities to move from school to adult roles of responsible citizenship and to maximize employment potential, independence, and integration into society through consumer, parent, professional, and interagency collaboration.
Organization
Organization Type: Education Agency , School
Geographical Area: County
Primary Setting: High School (vocational/technical)
Funding: No special external funding source
Consumers
Target Population: Secondary education students, Community service providers, Parents, Business people or employer, Teacher or trainer
Disability Areas: Mental retardation (Mild, Moderate), Multi-disabled (more than two), Severe emotional disturbance/emotional disability/behavior disorder, Specific learning disability, Speech impairment, Visual impairment, Autism, Traumatic brain injury, Epilepsy
NTA Framework Categories
Description
MCST offers all students a variety of work-based learning activities. A work-based learning (WBL) experience is any activity that connects what the students learn in the classroom to the world of work. Each year the Supermarket/
Retail Program incorporates all the aspects of WBL into its program. Students with disabilities are provided with school-to-work activities that progress from job shadowing visitation to job sampling, an internship program, a CIE part-time work-study program, and job placement upon graduation.
School personnel work together as a team. The job coach has primary responsibility for the successful transition from school to the worksite. The job coach along with the instructor plan job shadowing visits to local employers such as visits to the RLB Produce Distribution Center in West Caldwell, Shop-Rite stores, and various retail establishments. Job sampling is done each November at the local A&P food store. During the three days before Thanksgiving, the entire supermarket/retail class works at the A&P. Students rotate or sample jobs in the dairy, front-end, produce, frozen, and grocery departments. The instructor and job coach supervise students. An internship program provides second-year students work in the dairy, produce, bakery, or front-end departments. Students are supervised by the employer and job coach. Upon completion of the internship program, the CIE work-study coordinator assists students in obtaining part-time paid positions under the school's cooperative education program. Many students remain in these paid positions upon graduation.
Evidence of Success
Success Story
"W" has been a student in the Supermarket/Retail Careers Program at the Morris County School of Technology in Denville, New Jersey, for the past three years. While attending the program "W" participated in various job shadowing visitations and job sampling experiences.
During the second year of the program, "W" participated in a non-paid internship program at the A&P Supermarket as a produce clerk. While on the internship "W" demonstrated his skills in packing out produce items, rotating stock, assisting with inventory, and helping customers. Among "W's" many fine qualities is his willingness to always be of help.
Despite "W's" disabilities, including his physical disability of cerebral palsy, "W" has a total "give it all you got" attitude. This positive attitude is presently shown in his part-time cooperative education job at the Grand Union Supermarket where he is a customer service clerk. His employer has given "W" above-average marks in producing the required amount of work, maintaining an orderly work area, cooperating with supervisors, attendance and punctuality, and, especially, respectfulness towards customers.
In the classroom environment, "W" has always shown good effort and a willingness to learn everything he could. Within the school store, "W" has been one of the cashiers and often takes on the lead as a student manager.
Regarding extracurricular activities, "W" has been the treasurer of our Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). In the DECA competition, "W" scored first place in the written assessment of supermarket/retail information. "W" has also been very active outside the classroom. For the past two years he has volunteered with our "Spaghetti for Eddie" fundraiser for a young man with cystic fibrosis. This year "W" has been elected by the students of the entire school as treasurer of the student government.
In summary, "W" has approached his work with a tremendous energy and spirit and has shown the same spirit in overcoming his obstacles, moving forward and successfully achieving his transition from school to work.
Products
Morris County School of Technology Course Category • FREE
Work-Based Learning Directory • FREE
Supermarket/Retail Class Proficiencies • FREE
Job Developer’s Coalition Directory • FREE
Copies of Employer Agreements • FREE
Copies of Job Placement Reports • FREE
Updated 11/3/00