By Toni Rocha
For StatelineBusiness

JANESVILLE -- The concept of partnerships between business and education is not new. Until now, the reality has been a loosely arranged, informal relationship between individual businesses and the school districts in which they operate.

"Certainly a lot of business people have volunteered in Janesville schools through such organizations as Junior Achievement," said Dan Cunningham, Forward Janesville vice president of government relations and education. "We wanted to develop a program that would raise the level and get more professionals involved."

As a result, Forward Janesville's education council has introduced its Education Partnership Project just in time for the start of the school year. While in the past, the traditional target of business-school partnerships has been elementary and high school students, this program will focus its efforts on middle school students. The project is centered on three areas of impact: mentorship, basic skill enhancement and actual business education with increased emphasis on disabled students.

The Education Partnership Project will take the concept of business and education relations several steps beyond the norm, Cunningham added. Through Forward Janesville's 15-member education council, specific events will be scheduled on a regular basis. For example, the Rock River Charter School will host a business of the month event in which volunteers will either invite students to tour their business or make presentations at the school.

The goal is to introduce business people as teachers and provide interview days in which students can learn more about different professions. In addition, the project will help make teachers more aware of available career potential and allow students to experience work in a field with the help of a mentor.

"We believe our middle school students will be able to experience not only a quantity of career possibilities, but also have quality experiences through this effort," said Steve Kuth, career and technology education coordinator for the Janesville School District who co-chairs Forward Janesville's education council. "We hope to link to careers in Janesville and Rock County. By increasing student involvement with local business, they will begin to understand the vast array of possible jobs waiting for them."

Janesville businesses are equally excited about the program. Education council co-chair Mary Willmer-Sheedy, president of M&I Bank in Janesville, said this effort would build on the foundation laid through volunteer work by like-minded individuals.

"Our director of human relations and I have visited schools in the past to teach students about such business basics as how to dress, what to bring to a job interview and how to act," Willmer-Sheedy added. "The exciting thing is that many of the ideas incorporated in Education Partnership Project came from the principals of the middle and high schools as well as many other interested people."

Because the program is new, Cunningham said there are still a few wrinkles to be ironed out.

"There may still be a few kinks in the process, but we felt it was better to act now and work them out later," Cunningham said. "The time to introduce this is now."

One concern is based on the amount of time required by volunteers to fulfill their educational commitment, Cunningham said. Management would need to approve from a few hours to one day monthly for employees to volunteer their time. The education council is hoping retirees and self-employed professionals will join the project and share their experiences.

"For now, we are focused on Janesville schools," Cunningham concluded. "In the future, we hope to expand the program into Beloit and other communities as well as through Chambers of Commerce."

Forward Janesville plans to evaluate the Education Partnership Project after a full school year, he said.