How would you like to leave school early and make money while doing it? Those two things are like a dream come true for most students. The good news is that it is true and available to students in the form of On the Job Training or OJT. Mrs. Michelle Lambert is the teacher of the CWE class and in charge of OJT On the Job Training, in combination with the Cooperative Work Experience class, is a career development program which integrates classroom learning with on-the-job training experiences. Students attend a class one period a day that focuses on pre-employment, employability, and consumer topics. The students then report to an approved job training site in the community for which they are paid. Students involved are responsible fpr working a minimum of fifteen hours a week and can work anywhere they desire as long as it is not a family business and the student cannot self-employed.

OJT is open to juniors and seniors with enough credits to leave school, although Mrs. Lambert does not recommend it for juniors.. “My feeling is they should be in school seven periods until they are a senior.” Lambert expressed, “Students who take the program as juniors really lose touch with the school and doing other school based activities.” Students involved in OJT must be able to provide their own transportation to their job and be able to balance school and work. OJT students should have good time management skills and be organized so they do not lose track of schoolwork. Senior Charles Collison is a participant in OJT and says he is ecstatic to be taking the course. “I get out of school early and get to indulge myself in fun activities. Oh, yeah and I have to work too,” remarked Collison.

Paint Branch also offers an internship program, but OJT and internship differ in many ways. OJT students get paid while internship students do not. Internship students also do not have to attend a daily class, they instead go to weekly seminars. OJT students turn in pay stubs to keep track of hours they have submitted towards their required amount, while internship students must sign out daily and keep logs of what they do at work.

OJT is an ideal class for seniors looking to get a head start in the career world and job market. “By working at a job in high school, a student is gaining skills to move up the ladder faster than a student who does not work in high school,” said Mrs. Lambert. “Also, any senior who needs to make money for college, this is a great way to do it!”