Gilchrist County School-To-Work


You may be wondering where exactly Gilchrist County is. It certainly wouldn't be a suprise if you hadn't heard of us before. Gilchrist is located in the North Central part of Florida. The County was created in 1925, the last of all Florida counties. Gilchrist is a small county, covering some 348 square miles, with only 13,000 residents. We are primarily an agricultural community, but business is flourishing as well, and growing at a steady rate. Total enrollment for Gilchrist County Schools, K - 12, is about 2,600. The average income is about $12,600. The need to interest young people in a career with a future is a real priority. This is where School-To-Work comes in.



School to work is an initiative designed to encourage businesses to participate in career development activities with their local school. Gilchrist County works in conjunction with Lake City Community College which works with four other counties in what is known as the Crown Consortium. Here in Gilchrist County, community support for the program can only be described as phenomenal. Nearly all local businesses are willing to participate in some form of School-To-Work activity. What types of activities are included? Some activities are:


  • Shadowing- allowing a student to observe a typical day in the work life of a profession they have an interest in.
  • Mentoring- does more than just allow a student to observe the business partner for only one day, instead it involves fostering a friendship, and encourages continued communication between the student and business partner.
  • Internships can be used to introduce a student to the workplace. This involves the student working and learning in a business, but not being paid.
  • On-the-job training is similar to an internship, but the student is paid as a productive employee. Whether an internship or on-the-job training is used depends on how helpful the student will be to the business.

    In addition to these activities, many business people contribute to our Career Expo and serve on Advisory Teams related to their field of expertise. As we look forward to having our first school based enterprise in Gilchrist County, again the support is strong. Local businesses have offered to donate the needed supplies or sell them to us at a reduced rate to get such a venture off the ground. Although it is still in the planning stages, the venture will most likely have something to do with the construction trade. We'll keep you posted on new developments as they arise, so check back! In the meantime, look around at what we have done already by following the links below.

    Acadamies Zone Awards What's New with STW? Gold Seal Scholarship
    Forms for download Participating Businesses


    STW@afn.org