Preparing Students for the Real World with Tricia McCoy and Erica Butts: Work-Based Learning in a Virtual School

Connecting learning to real-world experience helps students build confidence, develop practical skills, and clarify their future paths. Work-based learning creates opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real jobs and responsibilities while still in school.

In this episode of GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education, we’re joined by Tricia McCoy and Erica Butts of Georgia Cyber Academy. They share how work-based learning operates in a virtual environment and how students gain meaningful, hands-on experience that prepares them for life after graduation.

The conversation explores how students access work-based learning opportunities, how coordinators support both students and employers, and how these experiences build skills, direction, and independence. Tricia and Erica also reflect on how virtual schooling can expand access to real-world learning and address common assumptions about whether hands-on experiences are possible in an online setting.

This episode is part of GCA Unmuted’s ongoing documentation of how virtual schools prepare students for college, careers, and life beyond high school.

Thanks for listening to GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education, a podcast documenting how virtual school works in practice at Georgia Cyber Academy.

Each episode features educators, staff, and leaders sharing real stories and systems that support teaching and learning in a virtual environment.

Learn more about the podcast and explore past episodes at:
 https://www.georgiacyber.org/about/unmuted

You can also watch full episodes and highlights on our YouTube channel:
 https://www.youtube.com/@GCAchampions

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to GCA Unmuted, the podcast where we share the stories and strategies that show how Georgia Cyber Academy makes online learning work. For many students, learning becomes most meaningful when it connects to the real world. Work-based learning helps students apply what they're learning in class to real jobs, real responsibilities, and real career pathways, even in a virtual school. I'm joined today by Trisha McCoy and Erica Butts, GCA's work-based learning coordinators. They help students turn classroom learning into hands-on experience that prepares them for life after graduation. We'll talk about what work-based learning looks like at GCA, how students get involved, and why these experiences are such a powerful part of preparing students for the future. So thanks for being here, Erica and Trisha. I appreciate y'all. But can one of you lead off and share a story that you think this really captures the impact of work-based learning for a GCA student?

SPEAKER_04 1:12

Yeah, so I'll start us off. So a lot of times, a lot of stories that we hear from our site specialists, which are the people who actually go out to see our students on the job every month, is that they they coach them, they coach our students, they work with our students so closely throughout the semester. And one of the main things that we always hear is that the students' confidence in themselves and their abilities grows throughout the time that they're in work-based learning. And so one of our students just, for example, um started out such a shy, shy young man. And by the time his time was ending with work-based learning, with his company, he had already taken their leadership exam, passed it, and they were waiting on him to turn 18 so that they could give him his own store to run.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 2:12

So he the coaching and the feedback and uh that he received from his site specialists, I think, just just grew that confidence um so that he was able to just move up and have his own store when he's old enough. So I mean, that's the stores that we hear a lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

No kidding. And and and was that student um still at GCA when they transitioned to get that store, or was this like right when they were graduating? Do you know?

SPEAKER_04 2:42

I think he turned 18 after he graduated last last May. So um we need to follow up with him to see how he's doing.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

So cool. And do you know like how long that student had been in the workplace work-based learning program or no?

SPEAKER_03 2:57

Um, I think just a year. Wow. His senior year.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Were there any stories that came to mind for you, Tricia, that you were like, hey, this like really captures the impact of work-based learning for a student at GCA?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Um, yeah, just kind of piggybacking off of what Erica said. Um we have students who who are shy and who, you know, don't who are not confident in their abilities. Um and and sometimes just because they're in school and they're judged by a grade, you know, and they feel like they can't get beyond, they see themselves at like the C level, you know, um, they're not like the top A B student. Um, but when they come into work-based learning, they get so much encouragement. Um, they're looked at differently in a work setting and even with within our program, um, because we are there to help guide them and build them. And even, you know, their mentors, right? So students select their mentors, and these mentors are really, really um committed to seeing these young people grow. So um I happen to actually go out on a site visit because Erica and I do like to still stay um to the beaten path and know what's happening with our students. And so I did go see a um student and met with the mentor, and the mentor just raved about this student and um how hard he was working in the store, um, how he was willing to um learn new things, how everyone liked him. And that manager was so committed to seeing his growth, you know. So it was so rewarding for him as the manager, but also for the student. Um, and this was a student, and he's actually a student now, right? So this is a student um that is a decent student, you know, if they're not the top high, you know, um grade level um student. But he has he sees value in himself and and and the manager, his mentor sees value in him. Um, and so that pushes him. And it's you know, so that's been rewarding to see and to hear from the the mentor.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Yeah, that's awesome. I imagine uh the the student who's doing well in the workplace, it's probably giving them confidence in school, in the school space and classes and stuff. So that's so cool, I imagine, to see that translate. Um can you two help describe what is work-based learning and why does it even matter for students? Like, if I I if I have no idea what is work-based learning, uh, how would you describe it? And then also, like, how how would you sell it? Why why does it why does it matter for students? Why should students even care about getting in the work-based learning program?

SPEAKER_00 6:13

Well, it kind of just piggybacks off what you just said that it, you know, students, it helps students in the program, um, it bridges the gap between what they're learning in school and what they're actually gonna be doing in the workplace. Now, it's not so much you're doing math problems and you're doing ELA, but you, you know, I always tell students that what you do in high school is transferable, right, to the workplace. And what you do in the workplace is transferable to what you're gonna do in school. So them going to work um and going to school, it bridges that gap, right? And it brings the skills like what they're doing at school to work. So, you know, for instance, showing up to class on time, right? Well, you still got to do that at work. Having deliverables, things that you have to turn in. You still have to do that at work. It doesn't go away. Teamwork, working together, being a critical thinker, you know, being solution driven, and not always finding fault in something. Um, and so these are things that we we we we do in terms of teach our students, we help them understand that um the employability skills that they're learning at work is transferable, right? And sometimes we have students who come to us who haven't worked before, um, and they're like, Well, I don't have any skills, and we're like, Yes, you do, you know, and we do have them create a resume and we we tell them to highlight their qualifications, right? Highlight their skills, you know, those that's the start of any of any resume. Um, and that really sells who you are as a person. So it does bridge the gap between school and work um with those employability skills. Erica, I'm sure you can add some stuff.

unknown 8:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, Erica, tell us tell us what work-based learning actually is. Can you describe that? Because Trisha did a great job of saying, hey, this is why it matters, this is why students should care. Can you tell us like what even is work-based learning?

SPEAKER_04 8:25

Yeah, so um, just to kind of go off of what Trisha said, work-based learning, it makes school relevant. Like I think big picture on our end, like grown-ups, we want them to see, hey, this is actually relevant. What you're learning in school, you can actually take to the workplace. But for students, to kind of get them in, you have flexibility with your schedule. So this is actually a class that goes on your schedule. It's an elective class, so you can earn elective credit for working. It gives you flexibility um with your schedule so that you can work during the day if you want to. Um, you're not you can miss your live classes if you're working. And so that's kind of what um piques our students' interest because they're like, hey, I want to go to work, like I wanna I want to be flexible. And so, but that is a um an advantage of work-based learning. Our students have flexibility and they are earning elective credit at the same time, so that if you don't like if we have a student who has no interest in graphic design, like they don't want to take that class, they don't want to take that class, they want to work, so come to work-based learning. You can do both, you can earn your credit and your money at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

How cool is that? So, can you all tell us a little bit about what are the work-based learning opportunities then that are available to GCA students? Like, can I just go like if I'm a high school student, can I just be like, hey, I've got a job at McDonald's? Does that count? Like, how do how does how do the opportunities or are there specific jobs that these students have to be in, or how does that how does that work?

SPEAKER_04 10:09

Yeah, so a lot of our students already have their own job and they want to keep their own job. And so as long as their employers, employers are willing to work with us, because you know, we still come out and we check on you on the job um once a month. So as long as they're willing to work with us, you can keep your job. If you don't have anything, if you don't have a job you're looking, we help you. Like we are statewide, to my knowledge. We're the only statewide work-based learning program that I know of. We work with students where they are. So if you don't have a job, we can help you find something in your area. It can be a paid job, it can be an internship, um, it can be an apprenticeship. So I it's it's it's wide open. So our students have a lot of opportunities. It just depends on what we can find in your area that you can get to.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

And I also like to add that we do have students, um, you know, they do come with their a lot of times with their place of employment. Um, and it might be the McDonald's, right? We had a student a couple years back that wanted to work at Zaxby's. Um, but her goal was to start as a baseline employee of Zaxby's, you know, on the floor, um, the register, cook, and all that good stuff. But her ultimate goal was to be a franchise owner, right? Um, we even had Jennifer Mitchell's son a couple years back, and he was um went, you know, from being a an employee to a team lead to a shift, um, and to one of the store managers where he had the keys, you know, to open up and get Chick-fil-A started for the day, you know. So, you know, um that was that was great. And then we also had students who want to work um in vet sciences, and so they work at vet clinics. Um, we had a young lady that loved um loved horses, and she had a horse, and she was all about nurturing back horses that might be might have gotten sick or need some needed some additional um care. Um, Dunlookin Farms was that place. And so we have students that that go into different um jobs, and you know, I I I had a we had a student that wanted to work at Starbucks. That's all she wanted to do is was work at Starbucks, right? And when one Starbucks didn't give her enough hours, she went to another one. And so we were like, so what is it with Starbucks? Why do you not want to go anywhere else besides Starbucks? She said, because I'm a creative person. And a Starbucks allows me to be creative. And I just love that, you know what I'm saying? Because talk about the love that she's putting into her drinks. For us, you know, the love that's behind it. So people, you know, sometimes it's not always about, I think it's not always about going into office job to work, but we, you know, it's about meeting people where they are, you know, where they find their joy. Right. Um, and so some of these kids love going to, you know, retail places to work, um or food chains, you know, because that because they have other other ambitions behind it.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

So you mentioned hours. So when when students are looking at these different opportunities, do they is there a requirement for the amount of hours they have to work a week then?

SPEAKER_04 14:00

They have to work at least seven hours per week.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Okay. So they they have to find, and it doesn't seem like the virtual environment is really a hindrance, is it? It's not a hindrance for this program. Like you said, y'all have a statewide program, they can do it wherever, and because they're virtual, they can do it whenever. There's no restriction on like during the day when they can work.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

No, no, I think that's actually more of an advantage being virtual because you like I think in brick and mortar, they try to get their classes in the morning and then they leave early for school. Well, our students, because they have flexibility, they can work, they can open the store if they want to and work all day long and do their school at night. So I think our our flexibility, the way we're set up, is is really more of an advantage for our students.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Yeah, and I would like to add too that you know it really also depends on the students and and what they're able to manage, because we do have some students who only want to work in the afternoons, right? They want to go to their classes, like they might have a first, second, third period, and then after two o'clock, they're free to go to work. Um, and so they want to they want to um be present and online for their classes. And then there are some students who desire to work in the morning and they're open to watching recordings. So now when you're in work-based learning, even though you have that flexibility, you do have to, and you do a mixed class, you do have to watch the recordings within 48 hours in order to be marked present for class. So if you don't do that, and you have to watch recordings in its entirety. So if you don't do that, then that can begin to build up absences and truancy, um, lead to truancy. And so it's important that that student understands and they're able to manage watching those recordings, right? And because it can't snowball. And they may find themselves watching recordings, recordings, recordings. But some kids, some students are able to do that and they're fine, and others plan accordingly.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

That makes sense. Trisha and Erica, can y'all describe your roles? Uh, what what are what are y'all doing uh it for the work-based learning program in the sense of uh what does your role look like for supporting students through the work-based learning? Because it sounded like you said there are like um mentors uh that are that are actually like boots on the ground. And Trisha, I think you said that you are sometimes boots on the ground, like you'll go and visit. So can y'all kind of describe what your uh like your main role for the work-based learning program and how y'all support students?

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Okay, so Eric and I really worked like as a team, and so we do a lot together. Um being that work-based learning is a class that students have to take and they earn elective credit for, you know, I will manage the class portion of it, um, making sure that they do the, they do have assignments they have to complete, they do have quizzes, they do have journal reflections, and the class is tailored, so there's three cohorts of students, you know, first year, second year, and third, a third-year student, right? Um, and typically that third year student is probably someone that came in, not probably, but they came in um at the um, they picked up a semester at the tail end of one of their grade levels. And so now that they're a senior, they have that one more semester to complete, right? Um and so so the class is designed based off first year, second year, and you know, every now and then a third year student. Um, but the content is designed for if someone is starting out work, you know, what that looks like for them, the modules. And then someone who has been with us for at least a year, you know, advancing because now they've been working for about a year, you know, and what those things that they should expect, you know, which kind of goes into like leadership, you know, training and all that. Um, and then from the third year, it looks a little different as well. Um, but aside from that, you know, we do look at business partners. Look at additional, you know, meet with additional uh business partners in the community. Um we will also go see site, you know, we try to stay connected to what's happening. So we will do site visits. Um and what is something else? We will do um advisory boards. Um we go into classrooms to do employability skills training, um, CTAE classrooms. Uh so we do a wealth of things. Um Erica, you may want to add on to that.

SPEAKER_04 19:11

Yeah, so um, as Tricia was saying, she is um the teacher of the class. So she's like the teacher of record. Um and on the other side of that, I'm kind of uh the recruiter for work-based learning. So I send out the marketing materials, I get the students um the applications. Once they submit an application, um, you know, I kind of go through their grades, their GPA. If they qualify, then I give them a call, talk to them about the program, kind of explain what's going on, and then um we also have three site specialists. Um so once they're in the program, each student is assigned to their own site specialist. Um, and that's who works with them throughout the semester, goes out to see them, um provides feedback and things like that. So um another kind of unique advantage that we have is because we have these three site specialists, I try to assign them based on where they are, like their distance from the student. But I also try to match them because I know our site specialist personality, and then I kind of get a feel for our students when I talk to them. So I kind of try to match the site specialist with the student's personality. Like I feel like some of our guys need a male influence. So we have Mr. Delore, and so I try to place them together because I feel like that would be what's best for the students. So um we are at a unique advantage where we have a team. And sometimes, you know, like we said, we're statewide. So if a student is five hours away from Mr. Delore, but closer to me, then I will go see the student and he will still, you know, send them feedback and work with them throughout the semester. So we we are definitely an extra layer of support for our students there.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

Sure. That's great. What do y'all think then? Shifting gears, what do y'all think other schools could learn? Um, whether traditional schools or virtual schools? If y'all were to give advice or say, like, you know, this is what I think other schools could learn from how GCA runs their work-based learning in a virtual setting here, what what would you say? What what would y'all what would y'all say?

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Well, I would probably gear that thought more so towards other virtual schools because the models that we we have um it's just different than a district, a school district. So site specialists and a brick and mortar, they are wherever their school is, their kids are, right? And then their kids work pretty much around their school and their home. And so that's you know, that's different from us because we are statewide. So I probably would gear to um uh other virtual programs that are statewide that are the virtual programs that this is a program that they can definitely do statewide. Um they just have to have committed uh people on board that's willing to travel the distance to um you know start the program. And if not even, and if they don't want to do it statewide, they can pick a portion of the state to start with and then build from there. You know, we went this full force and we are you know 159 counties from the day one, you know, so and then what's what's what's um what's wild is that when we started our program, uh we were like we started in August and then COVID hit. Right. So you can imagine trying to do or start up a new program and then you hit with COVID. And so that was challenging for that year, and actually for probably a year or two after that, because you know, having wanting, you know, employees had wanting children or students to come in, they were a little bit hesitant because of the whole COVID and you know, kids coming around. And I'm gonna tell you though, what saved us, what saved lots of us during that time were students who were working in those in those fast foods. You know, you could just think back to that time, and if nothing else, you can go, you could have, you know, go to like a Chick-fil-A and McDonald's, Wendy's Axby's, and you were happy to get a meal to bring some kind of normalcy into your life, right? But if you remember, a lot of that time it was teenagers working. It was teens that were running those those ships for us. Um, and even within our GCA program, you know, it was our teens that kept us afloat. So we were so thankful for them.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Could you add anything to that, Erica? What you what you think that other schools could learn from uh GCA's model for work-based learning?

SPEAKER_04 24:21

Uh well, I think uh Trisha said it perfectly. I I don't think we could translate this into brick and mortar because they they just work within their community. Um so I think we would gear ours more towards um another virtual school and say, hey, this is possible. Like we're doing it as long as you have a team that you can depend on that you can count on to go to just about every county in the state, like you can do it, it's doable. We follow the guidelines from the the Georgia Department of Labor, just like any other school would. We just kind of tailor it to our environment.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

So, do y'all think there's anything in particular that sets GCA's model apart? Um, when y'all think about the way we do work-based learning from like a systems and operations piece, is there anything that really jumps out of you that's like, you know what, this is what really sets GCA apart with the way we do things?

SPEAKER_00 25:20

Well, I think the the fact that we um cover 159 counties and that we actually travel to go see our students wherever they are, right? So um I think that's super unique, you know, that we have site specialists, we have students that are five hours away, and we find a way to make sure that that they that we lay eyes on them. You know, because every child matters. You know, and who doesn't love to see their teacher face to face? These are students that don't see their quote quote unquote teacher face to face. And so when they see us, they're they light up, they're beaming, they're happy, they're like, oh, that you know, there's like who was that? Oh, that was my teacher, you know. So they're always really, you know, uh proud to say, oh, that's my teacher. Oh, okay, that's nice, you know. But um, I think that's what makes us unique is that even though we're in a virtual setting, we do try to still keep it as personable um as possible with our students, and we make sure that they know um that they matter.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

Well, I'll have to agree. I think I think the fact that we are able to break it down so that each site specialist has a manageable caseload. Um, and so they're able to make connections with our students, with their families. Um it's I think that is so important, especially in our virtual setting. Like we actually get to see our kids face to face once a month. And so that enables us to make those connections with these with these students. We had one site specialist who her one of her students, their family, invited the site specialist to her going away party when she went away to college. Like they she had just built that relationship with them. Um, and I just love like we hear stories about that all the time. It just we have I just love that our team makes those connections. And I think that's what sets us apart.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Right. Shows you're making a difference, making an impact. What would y'all say to somebody then who's like, you know what, you can't make work-based learning program work in a virtual school. No way. You have to be a traditional brick and mortar school where you have the students and the teachers and the site coordinators all there locally. Otherwise, can't do it, not gonna work. I'll just say to somebody who says that.

SPEAKER_04 28:03

Well, we are five years into it and we're going strong and improving every year. So we're already doing it.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

Yeah, and I've done I've done work-based learning for five years in brick and mortar, and you know, it's been five years here, right? And so um it's doable. It's it's a doable program. Um the way we the way we, you know, like and I and I say this. I think one thing that we we make sure that we do is that we stick to the guidelines of the program. We stick to the guidelines of the state program, and we make sure that we're we fall within those parameters of the program, and we go to trainings as we um as needed, we go to professional development, um, you know, to continue to enhance us um overall. And so it's it's definitely something that is it's doable once you just follow the guidelines, but it does take a little bit of time putting everything into place in terms of if you're trying to start the program up.

SPEAKER_04 29:20

And another thing I will I would like to say is that we have incredible support from our leadership team. So that is that has been amazing throughout this whole process. Like we started this virtual work-based learning program basically from the ground up in 2019, and we have had nothing but support from our uh leadership team throughout this whole process, and that has been so important and so appreciated that they have trusted us to get this going and make it successful.

SPEAKER_01 30:00

Yeah, that's key. You gotta have the leadership trust you so that they're so that you can actually feel like you can get your job done instead of feeling like people are breathing down your neck. So leave us with this. So, final question for y'all. What is the biggest lesson, or just a lesson if you don't want to mark it as the biggest lesson? But what what have you learned about you know work-based learning, running a work-based learning program, preparing students for the real world? Uh, what what would y'all say, like, man, this is the lesson that I've I've really taken away or learned through this whole process?

SPEAKER_00 30:38

I would say that students want to know and feel like they're winning. Students have got to feel like they matter, like they're winning, and it's up to us to create that space for them to feel that. Even no matter the spectrum they're on, right? Everybody has something that is of value, um, and it's beyond grades. It's beyond, it's just beyond grades, it's beyond a GPA. You know, we always want to make sure that um students feel valued. And I think they they feel that when they're when they're in in in in any programs that as a layer onto who they are becoming.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Love that.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

So yeah, so I think that that's important. They gotta feel like they're winning.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

What about you, Erica?

SPEAKER_04 31:41

I I completely agree. They just need guidance and they need somebody to tell them that they can do it. Like you absolutely can do hard things, and whatever path you choose, whether it's college, whether it's trades, like that's okay. Whatever works for you, that's what we want to support. Whatever makes you happy, that's what we're gonna support.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

So good. So here's today's big idea. When students gain real-world experience while they're still in school, they don't just graduate, they launch. So thanks again to Trisha McCoy and Erica Butts for joining us and sharing how work-based learning helps students prepare for life beyond high school. If this episode gave you new insight into career readiness in a virtual school, be sure to subscribe and explore more conversations on GCA Unmuted Voices of Virtual Education. Thanks again, Trisha and Erica.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Thank you.