The School That Works

Cristo Rey Jesuit empowers students to be college-ready and career-prepared with an innovative Corporate Work-Study Program that employs 100% of our students. Our students earn approximately half of the cost of their education through a job-sharing partnership with their classmates to cover full-time, Monday through Thursday positions at 140+ companies throughout Houston. Our experiential learning model is unique as we are the only school in Houston that incorporates on-site job experience into its academic curriculum.

How it Works

THE HIRING PROCESS

Students are employed by the school’s subsidiary, Cristo Rey Work Study Program, Inc., a temporary employment agency.
Corporate Partners pay a competitive annual fee, without worrying about the HR headaches. The Work-Study Program staff handles all transportation, payroll, W-4, I-9, Workers’ Compensation, FICA, and other employer issues for the students.
The fee charged to the company is a “fee for service” business expense, not a donation.

How Students Are Able to Work

Academic schedules are structured so that students work without ever missing class.
Each grade level works on a specific work day.
Students work for the entire academic year (September - May).
Students work in a four-person job-sharing team to fill one full-time equivalent position, Monday through Thursday, approximately 7 hours between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
All students attend a rigorous Summer Training Program called Building the Pride before beginning their first CWSP assignment.

Building the Pride

All incoming freshmen and transfer students attend a two week rigorous summer training program called Building the Pride before beginning their first CWSP assignment. The professional development content includes lessons from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey and the workforce development training includes:

Basic computer skills
Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
GoogleSuite (Docs, Sheets, and Slides)
Standard office equipment training
Office and email etiquette
Positive first impressions in the workplace
Customer service and phone skills
Filing and document processing
Confidentiality & ethics in the workplace
Department of Labor specified workplace safety

Students also receive ongoing feedback, performance reviews, and training from partners and the CWSP staff throughout the school year.

Our Students

98% students of color
100% trained with critical, valuable social and technical skills demanded by the modern workplace
97% daily work attendance
96% meets or exceed expectations in the workplace, as reported by supervisors
94% of the senior class of 2024 felt their CWSP was an important and meaningful part of their education

“Hiring Cristo Rey Jesuit students has been extremely rewarding for Houston Methodist. We are one of the founding corporate partners and have students at seven of our hospitals and at our research institute. Cristo Rey Jesuit students have served in many administrative and data entry positions, which helps us to manage our costs while also supporting a great mission. Our student-workers continue to show maturity, despite their young age, and possess a level of dedication that translates into a solid work ethic.”
Mick Cantu, Executive Vice President at Houston Methodist and Vice Chair of Cristo Rey Jesuit's Board of Trustees

Contact Us

For more information about our Corporate Work-Study Program, please email:

Jill Ribbeck

Director

jribbeck@cristoreyjesuit.org

Felix Garcia

Senior Manager

fgarcia@cristoreyjesuit.org

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