The annual Groundhog's Day Job Shadow program is about to swing into gear as young people from around the county will populate workplaces and learn the ins and outs of how to be a good and productive worker. On Jan. 31, the School-to-Work program will send flocks of eighth-graders into the workplaces of their choosing to get a look at how the economy works, the joys and tribulations of the labor force and basically, what grown ups do all day.

According to project director Evelyn Watson, over 330 businesses welcomed 520 students into workplaces. This year, the program's sixth, Watson hopes to enrich the learning experience of even more students in a wide variety of workplaces.

&uot;Many students went with their parents or relatives to work and saw first hand how the skills they learned in school were put into action in the workplace,&uot; Watson said.

Watson said students learned basic skills of servicing the economy, such as manners, courtesy, punctuality, dependability and teamwork. She called the experience &uot;eye-opening.&uot;

Watson encouraged area employers to welcome students and allow them to observe first-hand what a &uot;real job&uot; is like.

&uot;It's a win-win situation,&uot; she said. &uot;Employers can share with students what will be expected of them in the workplace and students will get to see what the real world has to offer.&uot;

The job shadowing will allow students to see behind the scenes of many enterprises that they may only know about on a superficial level, Watson said.

Registration forms are due back to schools by Monday and Watson encouraged both students and area employers to prepare for the big day.

The School to Work Opportunities program is a joint venture between Troy City Schools and Pike County Schools and is based at the Troy-Pike Center for Technology.

Stephen Stetson can be reached at stephen.stetson@troymessenger.com.