Atlanta Public Schools is celebrating College and Career Motivation Week November 17 – 21, 2014. The goal is to encourage students to do well in school and to prepare today for college and careers tomorrow.
A partnership with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) goes beyond one week, allowing APS students to make preparation a priority during a 12-week internship. Nine Career, Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) work-based learning students attended an internship orientation at MARTA headquarters on Nov. 3. Work-based learning placements provide students with opportunities to gain skills and knowledge in their area of interest and align with a student’s career pathway and individual career goal.
Atlanta Public Schools MARTA interns: Andre Jackson, B.E.S.T. Academy High School, Customer Service;
Samaria Christian, Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Recruiting; Vanessa West, Mays High
School, Accounting; Paris Johnson, Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Accounting; Deaundra
Pullins, Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Engineering; Melia Sharp, Coretta Scott King Young
Women’s Leadership Academy, Legal Services; Mya Williams, Therrell High School, Department of Equal Opportunity;
and Jahkwen Edwards, Douglass High School, TOD-Real Estate.
MARTA’s service population is comprised of 1.65 million residents in the city of Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb counties and the transit system provides service to nearly half a million passengers each weekday. Work-based learning students from Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Therrell, Douglass, Mays, and B.E.S.T. high schools will have the opportunity to develop skills in various departments within the MARTA organization over the 12-week period.
The orientation began with greetings from Roxanne Antone, MARTA human resources recruiting manager, who talked to the students about company expectations, policies and procedures, organizational structure and dress code requirements. Carla Elliot from MARTA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, discussed various forms of discriminatory activities, followed by Roosevelt Stripling, customer service manager, who explained the need for exemplary customer service in all positions within MARTA. Stripling also shared with students the importance of customer service and how quality core customer service serves as the “face of the MARTA organization.” He charged the student interns always to concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service to MARTA customers, which is an important aspect of every job.
“Work-based learning placements represent the pinnacle of the career-related education experience,” said Dr. Michael Maze, CTAE director for Atlanta Public Schools. “I am very appreciative of the partnership with MARTA, and I am extremely excited about the exposure and experiences our students will gain from these internships.” Dr. Beverly Holyfield, CTAE education specialist and work-based learning coordinator for APS, thanked Ms. Antone for providing internships for students that will equip them with the “high level employability and technical skills that employers are currently seeking in today’s competitive society.”
