Students learn additional career skills through PartnerUp program

More than 30 seniors attending A.W. Beattie Career Center programs are participating in the PartnerUp program, which provides additional career skills to students in order to help them become workplace ready.

PartnerUp is made up of a group of local employers, led by PNC Bank in the Pittsburgh region, with the focus of finding talented employees for their available positions.

As of mid-March, PNC Talent Program Supervisor Richard Fann II has led students through

seven of eight sessions that are being provided during the school year. He feels students have grown in their confidence “to sell themselves, who they are, why they are here, and why they have picked their area of interest at Beattie.”

PartnerUp sessions aim to teach students additional workplace communication skills, an understanding of their career foundations, professional strengths, how to build themselves as a brand and building their power skills. 

“Participating seniors also strengthen their resumes by receiving feedback directly from the employers,” A.W. Beattie counselor Mrs. Sara Goodyear said. “Students are able to network in person with many of the participating employers and receive professional feedback to support their career growth. The employers help to reinforce the necessary skills to excel at interviewing through engaging in mock interviews.”

Confidence in a job interview, Richard Fann II said, is vital.

“Confidence can go a long way when you know what an employer needs because you’ve researched them,” Richard Fann II said. “That allows students to give very reasoned answers, ask specific questions when it’s their turn in an interview, and shows the employer that the student wants their job, not just a job.”

Students asking the right questions in an interview will be important to learning if an employer is the right fit for them.

“You want to learn how a company defines success, not just for a company but the role you’re applying to,” Richard Fann II said. “Learn what the company culture is like. How do you handle competition? Something like a sales position can be very competitive and stressful. Does the company provide support, or do you have to figure it out for yourself? Knowing the environment you’re entering into goes a long way to setting yourself up for success. Also, just the baseline of knowing their mission, vision and values and does that align with you is important.”

PartnerUp provides participating seniors with access to guaranteed interviews with local employers for available jobs. All employers participating in PartnerUp offer full-time entry-level career positions that provide full benefits, like medical and retirement, as well as education benefits. 

While participants are not guaranteed employment, by using the skills taught at Beattie, as well as strengthened through participating in the PartnerUp program, seniors learn to excel over competition.

“PartnerUp also allows students to no longer have to choose between workforce or post-secondary.  They could choose to gain experience in the workforce while their employer assists with paying for their post-secondary education,” Mrs. Goodyear said. “This helps our graduates build their professional experience, earn a full-time income and still obtain additional education to grow within their field.”

PartnerUp will culminate with Super Day, in which students are interviewed by potential employers, and Signing Day, in which students will celebrate any opportunities they have received.