• Student Workforce Advancement Group (SWAG) Program

    About SWAG

    SWAG Approximately 50 percent of Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) graduates leave high school without plans for immediate post-secondary education. These students need additional support and information to understand options for pursuing living wage jobs and ultimately, a family sustaining career.

    SWAG is a program for CMSD seniors to help them plan for life after high school based on their individual interests, strengths, and needs.

    SWAG scholars complete short assignments as part of Senior Seminar, Senior Capstone, or the JOG program (or in partnership with their guidance counselor). The assignments assess seniors’ strengths, weaknesses, and career interests, and reflect on interactions with employers.

    Representatives from high-growth, high-demand industries sit at the planning table and offer engaging virtual opportunities for seniors to meet, learn from, and speak with area employers. The emphasis is on helping Cleveland’s future employees understand and prepare to enter the local workforce.

    Participating seniors will end first semester with a clearer sense for what they would like to do when they complete high school. They will be ready to dive deeper into preparation for that pathway during second semester, for example by participating in internships or short-term training programs.

     

    SWAG Information for Scholars and Families

     
    • One-pager about SWAG
    • If you are a parent/guardian and your scholar is under 18, please complete the online consent form here to allow local employers to contact your student with job and internship opportunities. (Employers will only contact scholars who have expressed interest in their industry.)
    • If you are a senior and need to access the SWAG assignments, log into Naviance and go to About Me>My Surveys.

     

    SWAG Information for Employers

    Approximately 50 percent of Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) graduates leave high school without plans for immediate post-secondary education. These students need additional support and information to understand options for pursuing living wage jobs and ultimately, a family sustaining career. To that end, in the fall of 2019, CMSD and the Cleveland Foundation brought together a work team of workforce development and education professionals to develop the Student Workforce Advancement Group (SWAG), a prototype program to connect graduating seniors in six CMSD high schools with employment or other post-secondary opportunities.

    The SWAG work team was one of three work teams comprising the district and foundation’s joint initiative—Linking CMSD Students to Career Pathways and Living Wage Jobs.

     
Expand All

  • More information for Employers