"Arlington Career Center offers the opportunity for our youngsters in Arlington County to see what working for the U.S. government is all about," Col. Carl R. Coffman, commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, said.
Recently, Coffman and employees from JBM-HH visited Arlington Career Center to tour the facility and talk with educators about reviving a partnership between the school and installation, by providing jobs for students to work as interns.
The school's mission is to prepare students to realize their potential in a changing technological society. The program develops within students the skills, knowledge and attitudes which will encourage them to become life-long learners. A collaborative learning environment promotes individual growth and builds upon students' strengths and abilities," according to a school public relations briefing provided by Becki O'Loughlin, the center's education-based career education program director.
Experienced Based Career Education, or EBCE, is an alternative program for high school juniors and seniors. "This program is one of a myriad of educational opportunities students benefit from at the center," O'Loughlin said.
EBCE provides students with a variety of unpaid internships in the community, combined with appropriate academic instruction. Students receive credit for their community internships. O'Loughlin said these students have the opportunity to experience a wide range of careers and apply basic work skills in supervised, real-life work environments.
"We have the opportunity to help the EBCE students develop their skills and give them the opportunity to look at careers in civilian service at the installation," Coffman said. "We're not concerned with recruiting Soldiers [through the partnership] but with recruiting civilian service qualified individuals."
In addition to the EBCE program, O'Loughlin explained ACC also offers internships through the Supported Work and Transition or SWAT program.
"We've interned SWAT kids in the past at both the Fort Myer Officers Club and Commissary," she said.
Coffman said he looks forward to the partnership with Arlington Career Center.
"I hope we do this long-term," he said. "We need to be part of the Arlington Career Center's ability to help the development of students." Following Coffman's visit, O'Loughlin and Nancy Opsut, the center's Professional Related Intern and Mentorship Experience, or PRIME coordinator, visited JBM-HH and met with Robin Cordovez, Army Community Service volunteer coordinator and William Horvath, director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. O'Loughlin and Opsut gave Cordovez and Horvath an overview of the school's ECBE and PRIME programs.
"We're looking forward to this partnership with Arlington Career Center," said Cordovez. "The installation has many opportunities to give these students an opportunity to shine.
"O'Loughlin gave us a lot of information about the ECBE program and Opsut about the PRIME program," Cordovez said.
"Also it's important to note the ACC SWAT program has sent kids over to intern at Fort Myer for years."
The U. S. Army Band ''Pershing's Own," headquartered in Brucker Hall on JBM-HH, will partner with Arlington Career Center in July when a student from the center begins a one-month internship with the band.
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