HPM Faculty-STEP Partnership Benefits High School Juniors Certificate prepares students with social, etiquette and other important life skills

The Department of Hospitality Management has partnered with the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) to develop a unique and innovative professional development certificate for high school juniors that will help them build skills needed in their academic careers as well as in the workforce. From interviewing techniques for jobs, scholarships and college admissions to developing effective communications and conflict resolution skills, the certificate program will offer students an opportunity to learn-by-doing and seeing first-hand the importance of these skills to them now and into the future.

Role-playing and active participation will highlight the classes because students can practice the skills they are learning while receiving feedback about how well they have implemented them in real-world situations. Pamela Allison, assistant professor in the Department of Hospitality Management, will teach a module on conflict resolution using a similar approach she takes with her college-level hospitality students.

“For the college students, we teach conflict resolution as a four-step process that is applicable in a hotel management situation but also translatable to a high school student facing conflict, whether it is in school, at home, or in a part-time job,” says Allison.

The interactive monthly sessions will be facilitated by faculty members in the Department of Hospitality Management, with the first session scheduled for October 24. The program will culminate with a social experience during the spring semester, such as a dinner, where high school students will demonstrate the skills learned and receive their certificates of completion. “One of the most exciting aspects of this new program is being able to offer students a preview into their future, and giving them both a skill set and confidence with it that will get them excited and prepared for the opportunities ahead of them,” says Allison.

STEP provides academic support services and enrichment activities to students in grades 7—12 from the Syracuse City School District , as well as four of the five suburban communities, charter schools, and area private and parochial schools.  The STEP Program prepares students for rigorous demands of an academic future in math and science. STEP’s key component is the Saturday Learning Academy, which focuses on advising, counseling, after-school and Saturday tutorials, field trips, college tours, and various clubs, such as chess, Arabic language, music sound production, slam expression, research scholars, and mentoring.  Workshops and cultural awareness programs both on campus and in the community are included as enrichment activities.