Teach young adults what it takes to prepare
for, find and succeed at work with this dynamic
curriculum based on true stories by teens.
Real Jobs, Real Stories helps teens identify
and strengthen the skills they need to succeed
in the workplace, while building their literacy
skills and motivation to read.
The curriculum covers several work-related
content areas including:
— Getting to know your job and colleagues
— Professionalism
— Managing Money
— Stress Management
— Higher Education Exploration
— Career Exploration
— Reflection
The Real Jobs curriculum includes:
— 20 copies of Real Jobs, Real Teens
(for participant): an anthology of 33 true
teen-written stories about work experiences.
— 1 copy of The Real Jobs Leader's Guide:
a comprehensive set of workshop activities and
supporting materials to help facilitators effectively
run the program with youth.
— 20 copies of The Real Jobs Portfolio
(for participant): a set of materials for use in
the Real Jobs workshops, as well as supplemental
information for participants' reference.
See a sample lesson from the Leader's Guide. (PDF)
Read a review of Real Jobs, Real Stories in Youth Today. (PDF)
Learn more about the Real Jobs program.
Our Real Jobs curriculum was piloted with 1,500 young people in NYC’s 2009 Summer Youth Employment Program. The goal: improve their work readiness.
Read the independent evaluation. (PDF).
— 80% of the participants reported that as a result of Real Jobs they know how they should (and should not) act on the job.
— 73% reported that Real Jobs helped strengthened their understanding of the link between education and career success.
— 75% of the participants voluntarily read additional stories, even though they reported doing little or no other summer reading.
