Who We Are
About CAWEE
The California Association of Work Experience Educators will provide a high-quality career readiness education environment that enables students to become responsible citizens! We are committed to motivating students in grades TK-14 in California by inspiring them to think critically, collaborate, and communicate successfully, develop soft skills, solve problems efficiently, and incorporate technology to enrich their lives.
History
In 1963-1964, groups of Work Experience Educators in the northern and southern regions of the state began to organize a professional association. These groups merged in 1965 to form CAWEE and held their first state convention in May 1965.
The California Association of Work Experience Educators (CAWEE) was formed to establish and maintain guidelines for professional conduct, to provide in-service training opportunities, and to ensure that Work Experience Educators understand labor laws and regulations regarding youth employment.
Activities for members include:
- Attending chapter meetings and workshops
- Participating in regional conferences
- Accessing a central location for work experience information
- Having a "voice" on issues relating to youth training and employment
- Networking for school-to-work implementation
- Acquiring up-to-date legislation on work-related issues.
Today, CAWEE represents 500 of the 1,300 secondary schools in California that have Work Experience Education Programs as well as 85 of the 106 community colleges that have Cooperative Work Experience Programs.
Additional History from Archives of CAWEE
The California Association of Work Experience Educators, CAWEE, is a professional organization for and run by educators and career specialists who are involved in providing students with real-world experience within the workplace. This organization is dedicated to the education of not only Work Experience educators, but of School-to-Career specialists and others involved in this process.
CAWEE represents the many schools, educators, businesses, community groups, and individuals who work together as partners to help students achieve educational excellence.
Work Experience Education Programs are designed to link the academic core curriculum with the world of work and have gained recognition as a vital component of modern education in the rapidly changing and technological society of today.
Work Experience Education Programs utilize the community’s business and industrial complex as a career training laboratory. Students can learn or polish skills, assess capabilities while employed or perform career exploration by observing task performance and working conditions in actual work settings. The accredited Work Experience Education Programs are:
- General Work Experience Education: Combines related classroom instruction with paid employment providing general and specific occupational skills. Employment is not necessarily related to career interest.
- Vocational Work Experience Education: Combines related classroom instruction with supervised paid employment directly related to the student’s occupational goal.
- Exploratory Work Experience Education: Combines non-paid job observations and related classroom instruction in Work Experience Education for the purpose of vocational guidance. Worker’s Compensation Insurance is provided by the school district.
