Garrett Jennings named Rookie of the Year among WBL Coordinators

four people, one holding a plaqueGarrett Jennings, Work-Based Learning Coordinator at SWBOCES’ Career Services Campus, has been named “Rookie of the Year” by the Work Experience Coordinators' Association.

Members statewide meet annually to work on curriculum and policies, collaborating in a number of areas. The award is given to a first-year WBL Coordinator who has displayed creativity and Innovation their first year.

“Because of the pandemic we started doing Work-Based Learning virtually, so we did virtual site visits, job shadows, guest speakers,” Mr. Jennings said. “We had virtual internships. We had team building projects where an industry partner would give us an actual problem and we’d work off of that.”

The conference took place May 5-6 in Albany. 

SWBOCES has been ahead of the curve in incorporating virtual technology, Mr. Jennings said. We did it to keep up services for our students. “For us it was more of a survival thing,” he said, “but I think we set a good example of what could be done virtually.”

He credited Principal Evangelo Michas, the previous Work-Based Learning Coordinator, and Director of Career Services Dahlia Jackson for their innovations as well as their support. 

The goal now, he said, is to continue to grow the program. “I want  us to be seen as the industry standard,” Mr. Jennings said. “I want to incorporate more technology into the program and do more collaborations with other BOCES.”