Corporate Work Study Program

The Corporate Work Study Program contracts with companies to fill entry-level positions at the Partners’ places of business. The Corporate Work Study Program coordinates schedules with Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School so that each student is available one full day (approximately 7 1/2 to 8 hours) each week plus an extra day every fourth week without missing any classes. Students are placed in teams of four and assigned to Partner positions. The team of students “job share” the position for the year.

All Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School students must participate in the Corporate Work Study Program(CWSP). The CWSP is a component of the college preparatory curriculum, and it offsets the majority of the cost of student tuition. Students earn their wages and assign 100% of their earnings to pay for their education. By working for you, they can attend a private school that is academically rigorous and prepares them to be among the first in their families to attend college.

All students must be 14 years of age before they begin work for a corporate sponsor. The U.S. Department of Labor has granted Cristo Rey a provision allowing our 14 and 15-year-old students to work under strict guidelines. Students are allowed to perform office tasks, including clerical work, but no manual labor.

Each prospective applicant for Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School and Corporate Work Study Program is interviewed to determine if they have the maturity and work ethic to work in a professional setting. Students who are accepted to the school participate in an intensive Summer Business Training, which prepares students in the areas of technology, business etiquette, dressing for success, accuracy, communication, and business ethics, to name a few.

We ensure that our students have the professional and technical skills needed to be successful on the job. We maintain regular contact with company supervisors to provide training or coaching for our students as needed. In the rare case that a student is not working out, we develop a performance improvement plan. If a student is not a good fit for the job, they are replaced with a different student. In performance evaluations, more than 90% of the students are rated as “Meeting Expectation” or higher

Typically, all students perform similar entry-level clerical duties: answering phones, sorting and delivering mail, scanning and faxing documents, data entry, filing, running office errands. Often, students prove capable of additional duties and take those on after some time. For example, students who work in clinical hospital atmospheres often assist nurses, greet patients, and help with paperwork.

No, the money that is paid by the Partners goes directly to the CWSP and not the students. The money then funds the students’ education. Partners have the opportunity to hire students over school breaks. Money earned during breaks is not covered during the academic school year and goes directly to the students.

After evaluating each student’s skill level and interests, and the skill sets needed by our Partners, the CWSP staff determines where students are placed for employment.

We drive this point home to students during Summer Business Training. Topics such as handling confidential documents and understanding the importance of these documents are part of our Business Ethics courses. We have long-term job partners in the fields of law, banking, and healthcare, in which confidentiality is critical. Our students also participate in any required confidentiality training at their place of work.