RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Students will get a taste of the real world when more than 100 businesses across North Carolina participate in Students@Work Week, March 14 through 18.

The goal is to expose middle school students to job skills needed in the workplace through job shadowing and mentoring opportunities. More than 20,000 students are expected to benefit.
 
Middle school has been shown to be the time when students consider dropping out of school. The program helps to demonstrate to these students the relevance of education to future success through direct experience with the workplace.

Superintenent of Public Instruction June Atkinson will join the event on Thursday at Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy in Wake County and Gravelly Hill Middle School, A.L. Stanback Middle School, C.W. Stanford Middle School in Orange County.