|
SUPERINTENDENT CARVALHO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH MIAMI – Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho announced today a first-of-its-kind partnership between Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). M-DCPS is again leading the way as the first school district in the nation to partner with NIOSH/CDC to provide students with essential workplace safety and health skills training. Statistics show that youth are twice as likely as adults to sustain work-related injuries. By the time they graduate, 80 percent of U.S. teens have held a job. The vast majority of them enter the workforce unprepared for the challenges and hazards they face. “Our partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is a win-win for the students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the businesses that will employ them,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho. “The work of NIOSH protects the safety and health of the nation’s workers, and through this unique collaboration our students will benefit from the Institute’s knowledge, information, and expertise.” The NIOSH Youth @ Work-Talking Safety curriculum will be taught in 8th grade science courses in schools across the district and will equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to gain before entering the labor force. These include the ability to understand work-related risks as well as hazard recognition and control, to recognize rights and responsibilities on the job, and to communicate effectively when experiencing a work-related problem. The knowledge and abilities students gain through the partnership will help keep them safe and healthy in the workplace, now and throughout their professional careers. “Miami-Dade County Public Schools, under Superintendent Carvalho’s leadership, is the first school district in the country to partner with NIOSH for the benefit of Miami-Dade students prior to entering the workforce,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The recognition of workplace safety and health plays an essential role in preparing the future American workforce for safety and success in a complex and rapidly changing economy.” Professional development is also critical to the implementation of the curriculum. Already, NIOSH has trained more than 50 M-DCPS middle school science department heads and eighth grade science teachers in the Talking Safety curriculum. Together, NIOSH and the administrators, teachers and students of M-DCPS are building a model for the nation for preparing young people for a lifetime of safe and healthy work. # # # 15-DGD/240/TTR
|
