For Partners

Return on Investment

Partners such as EBMUD, PG&E, BART, Barb Leslie, Port of Oakland, Google, Intel, and many others, provide important opportunities for the students of Oakland through work-based learning experiences.

Linked Learning is transforming secondary education into a relevant and engaging experience, exposing students to previously unimagined college and career opportunities. Bringing together college-prep academics, technical education, work-based learning, and support services, Linked Learning helps prepare students for success in college, career and life.

What is a Pathway

A career pathway is a career-themed program available at a high school. An academy is another term used at individual schools to describe career pathways.

OUSD Pathways consist of a cohorted group of students who experience industry-themed curricula that integrates career and technical education courses, core academic courses, work-based learning opportunities, and student support services. OUSD Pathways are supported by a team of teachers and industry leaders across several subjects and industries to help shape the future of Oakland's youth.

Success Stories

I want to be a doctor. I got into health care to help my grandmother—she has type 2 diabetes. It makes me happy and it makes her happy, and I just love seeing her smile.

MIMS helped bring it to life, watching and just experiencing how it feels to be a doctor at work.

My grandmother used to take care of me when I was young, and now I take care of her. I’m the oldest in my family. My parents work, so I take care of my younger brother and sister, take them to school. I help with the cooking and cleaning. The MIMS internship taught me how to fix my brother’s cut and tell my grandmother good foods for her to eat.

As a doctor, I want to give back to the community. I love sports and want to open my own sports medicine clinic, provide free physicals, and get other doctors to come and help too.

MIMS introduced me to connections with people and a network of hospitals. We went to Highland, Kaiser, and UCSF and I saw how health care can be fun. Maybe people think it’s boring or it’s scary if you’re a surgeon and you see all that blood, but saving someone’s life makes you feel good about yourself.

To hear more success stories on how industry partners have impacted students, please click here.

How to Become a Partner

There are many ways you can engage with OUSD schools as an industry partner. By doing so, you are helping OUSD students, your community and your company. Here are some of the ways you can become a Linked Learning partner:

Career Expo

The annual Oakland Youth Careers Expo is Oakland’s premier career-education event. Industry partner exhibits include healthcare, business, technology, advanced manufacturing, construction, clean energy, government, and the creative industries.

The Expo centers on three goals: introduce high school students to career opportunities and the education needed to pursue good jobs; motivate students to continue their education or career training beyond high school; and connect employers to their future workforce. Oakland Unified School District invites you to share information about your industry and business with high schools students who are developing the skills and education needed to pursue those career opportunities. This is an excellent way to recruit students for both summer and internship positions, inform them about future job possibilities and showcase your business or organization.

Mock Interviews

Job interviews can be challenging, as we all know. Communicating with confidence takes practice. That’s why mock interviews are one of the annual OUSD Oakland Youth Careers Expo’s most valuable learning opportunities.

Over 100 HR and other industry professionals offer mock interviews for students prior to the students' participation at the Career Expo. These volunteers work with students and offer positive, constructive feedback that will help students for their next “real” interview for a job or college admission. Industry partners have also held mini-workshops on effective job interviewing, getting a summer job and how to land a job in an industry specific field.

Internships

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing helps students and young adults explore their interest in a career in your industry, and observe first hand what it takes to work in your company. Job shadowing can help a young person see the connection between what they learn in the classroom and the real world. It can also help students and young adults practice communication skills and learn how to relate to adults on a professional level.

Job shadowing is beneficial to companies as it exposes potential future workers to job opportunities with your company. It helps your employees understand how to communicate with the next generation of workers, thus improving future employee relations. It also provides a way to introduce yourself and your employees to the community.

In This Section