RALEIGH, N.C. – State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) recently hosted 60 eighth grade students from Daniels Magnet Middle School for a Students@Work initiative at its Raleigh-Salisbury Street office. In conjunction with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), SECU kicked off the half-day event with a “Reality of Money” financial simulation exercise that transformed students into wage earning, bill paying, responsible young adults for a short time.
According to the credit union, it was an eye-opening experience for most, and the perfect segue for SECU representatives to open a discussion with students on the importance of continuing their education to pursue future careers and job opportunities. Groups also toured SECU branch and operations areas, giving them an opportunity to engage with SECU employees and see the relevance of what they are learning in the classroom to the knowledge they will need in the workplace.
SECU has been an advocate for the Students@Work Week initiative since the program began in 2011. Since that time, nearly 54,000 students have participated in workplace experiences, career presentations and financial activities at SECU branches and in schools throughout North Carolina. Students@Work Week, a job-shadowing and job-mentoring initiative upheld by Gubernatorial Proclamation and supported by NCDPI, is the brainchild of NCBCE. The program, which focuses on helping to raise North Carolina’s graduation rate, allows students to see first-hand how business professionals in the community are using their education on the job.
“Students love the ‘Reality of Money’ financial activity that SECU incorporates in their Students@Work events,” said Susan Cherry, Career Development Coordinator and Instructional Resource Teacher at Daniels Magnet Middle School. “You can see it in their faces during the event – when they return to school, they are upbeat and motivated, talking about their future endeavors. The whole program opens their eyes as to why they need an education and why they need to think about their careers now.”
Jimmy Goodrum, SECU Senior Vice President of Member Education and Outreach commented, “This is a great program that helps expose middle school students to a variety of career pathways as they prepare to enter high school. We enjoy observing students as they participate in the financial simulation activity and can see that it truly has an impact. They begin to realize what it will take to become successful and self-supportive adults once they are on their own.”