EVSC Unveils its Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate

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The EVSC officially unveiled its very own Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate, a college and career readiness opportunity for seniors to identify, develop and demonstrate the skills necessary to be successful in college and career. The EVSC’s Work Ethic Certificate is a customized version of the Indiana Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate.

“We are excited to offer the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate to our students,” said EVSC Superintendent David Smith. “By earning this certificate, we can ensure our students have the skills necessary to be successful in whatever path they choose – whether it be college, career or military.”

The EVSC’s Work Ethic Certificate is a product of EVSC’s OptIN, a program that helps students and parents identify all of the opportunities available to them upon high school graduation. OptIN officials began meeting with community employers late last winter to begin identifying the universal skills necessary for students to be successful in higher education and in the workforce.

“We have spent the last several months collaborating with community leaders and some of our area’s top employers to build our version of the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate,”  said B. J. Watts, executive director of OptIN. “During these discussions, we collectively identified the top six transferable employability skills necessary for our students to experience sustained success regardless of their plan after graduation.”

According to Watts, the OptIN Advisory committee selected six skills that eventually became the P.R.I.D.E.S. The EVSC’s Work Ethic Certificate requires student mastery of the P.R.I.D.E.S., plus four academic components that are set by the state of Indiana. The P.R.I.D.E.S include:

Persistence: Students will be resilient, persevere through challenges and problem solve.

  • Responsibility: Students will accept and demonstrate service to others, possess a positive attitude and communicate effectively and appropriately

  • Initiative: Students will demonstrate ability to self-start and think creatively and critically. Students will be involved and take ownership of their work.

  • Dependability: Students will show reliability and accountability, demonstrating responsibility and consistent punctuality.

  • Ethics: Students will be trustworthy and demonstrate humility, integrity, and independence in their actions.

  • Self-Management: Students will be flexible, work collaboratively with others, and manage emotions.

The four academic components as set by the state of Indiana, include:

  1. 98% or higher attendance rate for the student’s senior year

  2. Six hours of community service during the student’s senior year

  3. Maximum of one office referral in the student’s senior year

  4. Minimum of a 2.0 Cumulative GPA

“The EVSC’s Work Ethic Certificate helps employers identify potential employees that have already demonstrated persistence, responsibility, initiative and dependability in their school environment, and those skills directly translate to the workplace,” said Makenzie Coulter, Corporate Engineering Manager & Public Relations at FLANDERS. “Collaboration between the EVSC and area employers is a critical component to building a sustainable workforce and community. We are all stronger as one.”

As recognition for completing the certificate, the area’s largest employers are offering guaranteed job interviews. In addition, many are offering increased base pay, bonus vacation days, sign-on bonuses, gym memberships and more. For students continuing their education, some institutions are waiving college orientation classes and Old National Bank is offering a scholarship opportunity exclusively for students who complete the certificate.

“We are excited to see this come to fruition and thankful for the industry collaboration in developing this certificate,” said Watts. “Creating opportunities of this magnitude requires the work and effort of so many in our community and I’m proud of this community’s continued commitment to enhancing the lives and opportunities of our students.”

The EVSC will begin to enroll all seniors in the EVSC Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate at the beginning of the school year. The deadline to sign up is August 31, 2018.  Students interested in signing up can visit https://goo.gl/3Dpx7u.

 

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