Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (Chicago) - The Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP)

The Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP)

In order to make private, college-preparatory education affordable to at-risk young people from Pilsen, an economically challenged area in Chicago, Cristo Rey developed an innovative work-study program for high school students called the Corporate Internship Program (CIP), which combines two commonly used business concepts, Employee leasing and job sharing. This program was implemented by Cristo Rey Jesuit High School's first president, Fr. John Foley, SJ, who saw similar work-study programs while stationed with the Society of Jesus in Peru. This initiative gives students the means of financing a private high school education that would otherwise be unaffordable for students in the Pilsen/Little Village area. Incorporated as the Cristo Rey Work Study Program, Inc., the CIP allows each of our students to earn 65% of the cost of their education by working five full days (9AM to 5PM) each month in entry-level positions at businesses and non-profit agencies in Chicago. Over 90 companies participate in the CIP – Chicago’s major banks, law firms, hospitals, and consulting firms—such as JPMorgan Chase, Ernst & Young, Leo Burnett Worldwide Advertising, Jenner & Block, Kirkland & Ellis, Deloitte and Touche, McKinsey & Company, and the Loyola University Health System. Students also work at several non-profit agencies.

The Corporate Internship Program has been incorporated to the school's curriculum and evolved into an innovative means of providing students with crucial hands-on, white-collar work experience, while simultaneously empowering them to take an active part in financing a major portion of their high school education. As a result of working in a business environment, students acquire desirable job experience and marketable skills, develop a network of business contacts, gain exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities, refine a strong work ethic, and increase their self-esteem.

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