Job Corps Trainees Shadow Teamsters

February 13, 2003

For the fourth consecutive year, the Teamsters gave a group of 10 students a first hand look at the world of work on National Groundhog Job Shadow Day. The annual event, held Wednesday, February 5, gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in different professions within a union setting.

This year’s students are members of the Transportation Communications International (TCU) Advanced Training Program. The program prepares students for employment as transportation industry clerks and train service personnel, airline and railroad customer service representatives, passenger service agents, high-speed data entry operators, clerk-typists, and other clerical positions in both the public and private sector. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Office of Job Corps.

At Teamsters Headquarters, students shadowed employees in seven different departments: Communications, Corporate Affairs, Government Affairs, the Human Rights Commission, Organizing, Research and Safety and Health; and the Building Material and Construction Trades Division. They learned about workplace rights, organized labor, the advantages of being a Teamster, and different career options available to them. In an evaluation, one of the young people said the experience “taught [them] the meaning of unionism and the value of joining the union.”  

This event was part of the Teamsters' commitment to school-to-career programs. Through the Teamsters' Skills for Tomorrow project, Teamster leaders and members reach out to young people to teach them about good jobs, exciting careers, and the role unions play in protecting workers' rights.

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