(May 1, 2018, Buffalo, NY) Lawley partnered with the LANCASTER HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMY OF FINANCE to provide 9 sophomores a snapshot into a variety of careers by hosting a job-shadow day.

A job-shadow day is a four-hour opportunity for students to learn about a variety of career choices at a local business as they engage in Lancaster’s nationally recognized work-based-learning program. Work-based learning connects what students are learning in the classroom with the working world. It’s a continuum of activities which begin with awareness, goes on to exploration and finally transitions to preparation.

Students enrolled in the Academy of Finance spend time with professional mentors, engage in mock-interviews, spend time researching a variety of careers and then explore those careers through job shadows. Each of these activities is designed to prepare students for a high quality 120-hour paid internship before high school graduation, dramatically increasing their college and career readiness and leading to better decision making about their futures.

Local, regional and national partners work together in support of students enrolled in Lancaster’s Academy of Finance by sitting on our local advisory board to ensure the classroom matches the needs of today’s workforce while providing students with opportunities and resources necessary to be successful for college and career.

students listen at Lawley job shadow day

“When companies take time to provide students with opportunities such as job-shadows they have taken a shared responsibility to ensure our youth has a realistic view of the workplace. Each student is then able to envision him or herself in that workplace,” says Scott Dixon, Academy of Finance director at Lancaster High School.

“It’s great to see students mature into young adults as these work-based-learning experiences are a vital part of understanding what to expect after high-school graduation and yet cannot be provided within the classroom. Our board works to ensure those experiences happen,” says Marc Rachiele of Crossfuze, the president of Lancaster’s Advisory Board.

About NAF and the Academy of Finance at Lancaster High School

The Academy of Finance at Lancaster High School is part of NAF, a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready. NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2017-18 school year, more than 100,000 students attended 644 NAF academies across 36 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2017, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates with post-secondary intentions.

Lancaster’s Academy of Finance has been awarded NAF’s distinguished status for each of the past 7 years and one of only 3 other academies to have reached this highest level of recognition as often. Distinguished academy designation is given to a select few who have exhibited fidelity to an educational design that prepares students for success in college and careers. The Lancaster High School Academy of Finance has graduated over 500 students since 2004.

ABOUT LAWLEY
Lawley is a privately-owned, independent regional insurance firm specializing in property, casualty and personal insurance, employee benefits, and risk management consulting. Lawley is ranked among the 100 Largest Insurance Brokers in the U.S., according to Business Insurance magazine. For over 60 years, Lawley’s team of more than 400 associates have developed customized property, casualty, surety and benefits insurance programs for businesses and municipalities of all sizes along with personalized protection for individuals and their families.

Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Lawley has branch offices across New York in Amherst, Batavia, Dunkirk, Mahopac, Plainview, Purchase and Rochester along with Darien, Connecticut and Florham Park, New Jersey. To find out more, visit lawleyinsurance.com.

For more information please, please visit: http://naf.org/ and www.lancasterschools.org/finance