CRTC Maintains Workplace Connections in the Midst of COVID



CRTC Maintains Workplace Connections in the Midst of COVID


It was Priscilla Durst’s first day at her internship  at the Myhre Equine Clinic in Rochester, and when they found out that she had grown up around horses, they put her right to work on an injured horse, flushing out a nasal catheter and administering oral medications. For the Concord High School senior, the immersion experience helped to confirm her ambitions to become a certified veterinary technician. 


In a school year complicated by COVID rules and restrictions, both in the classroom and on the jobsite, the CRTC still was able to connect 285 students to some form of Work-Based Learning experience by working with employers and taking advantage of online connections, in-school businesses and independent study.


“Thanks to creativity and the willingness to work within unusual and fast-changing parameters, local employers stepped up and adapted to give our students opportunities to connect their learning to potential careers and to feel hopeful about their futures.” said CRTC Work-Based Learning Specialist Amy Tietjen Smith.


Not all students had as in-depth an experience as Pricilla’s, Ms. Tietjen Smith said, because many experiences were curtailed or COVID-adapted to take advantage of remote connections to industry professionals, in-school activities and targeted online learning.


CRTC students are offered three levels of Work-Based Learning experiences: Level 1 is an Introductory experience, which includes worksite tours and meetings with industry professionals; Level 2 is a Core experience, where students gain at least 10 hours offsite training at a local workplace or onsite in one of our CRTC-based businesses; Level 3 Advanced WBL includes at least 25 hours of ELO or internship experience, or earning an industry-recognized credential.


Preliminary data from the 2020-21 school year show:

  • 75 students completed a Level 2 Core External WBL experience of at least 10 hours

  • 61 students completed Level 2 Core Internal WBL hours in a CRTC-based enterprise 

  • 20 students completed a Level 2 Core COVID-adapted virtual WBL experience of at least 10 hours    

  • 58 students completed a Level 3 Advanced Internship or ELO with WBL component of 25 or more hours 

  • 46 students are completing an Industry Credential with clinical hours (EMT or LNA in progress)

 “Our ultimate goal is to ensure each CRTC student has some kind of core or advanced WBL experience before they complete their program,” said CRTC Director Steve Rothenberg. “Connecting students to relevant career exploration opportunities helps them to gain some on-the-job experience that will influence their postsecondary college and career choices.”


For Priscilla Durst, the WBL experience not only helped her to figure out the next steps in following her career pathway ambitions, but it also led to a job offer to work as a veterinary assistant at Banfield Animal Hospital, in Concord. After graduation, Priscilla plans to attend NHTI to complete her general education requirements, and then enroll in Great Bay Community College to become a certified veterinary technician. After having some time on the job, she said, she will decide whether or not she wants to go back to college to become a veterinarian.


“We are pleased that we were able to connect so many students to at least a Level 2 Core experience in spite of COVID restrictions this year,” Ms. Tietjen Smith said. “Next year we hope more students will have Level 3 Advanced opportunities.”

Click Here to learn more about Work-Based Learning at the CRTC.

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