C - Recruitment Letter to Respondent

Attachment C

Interview Recruitment Letter to Respondent

Respondent

[NIOSH logo]

[Full address of respondent]

Dear [title, name]

Every minute in the United States, a young person (aged 15-24 years) is seriously injured at work. Many more become ill, and some even lose their lives. These incidents are tragic—but many are also predictable and preventable. Today’s complex, global work environments require all people to develop skills that meet 21st century challenges.

Schools can help adolescents develop the critical life skill of working safely, and we would like to get your insights about workplace safety instruction. The superintendent’s office recommended you for this interview.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners have developed a curriculum in safety and health skills for work for middle school and high school students. The Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum is fun, free, and flexible. It presents basic career-readiness skills through a focus on core competencies—competencies that are the foundation for a lifetime of safe and healthy work.

The Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum is aligned with the National Health Education Standards (NHES) and the Common Career Technical Core and fits well with any school health or work readiness program. A brochure for this course is included in this packet.

NIOSH is not asking your district to implement this curriculum at this time. NIOSH is collaborating with RTI International, a nonprofit research organization, to conduct interviews of district personnel to learn about:

• How your district integrates new materials into school curricula.

• The extent to which your district currently includes health and safety skills for work in school curricula.

  • If you do not currently include these concepts, we would like to understand the challenges your district might face in including these concepts.

• Whether your district would consider including the vital work readiness skills taught through the Talking Safety curriculum in your current programs

RTI staff will contact your office in the next week to discuss this interview. The interview will take about 30 minutes on the telephone. No information that identifies a participating district or an actual respondent will ever be released. Your participation in this interview is voluntary and private, and you have the right to refuse to answer any question.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this important effort. Your input is greatly appreciated and is vital to giving young people the skills they need to stay safe and healthy at work, now and throughout their lives. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Beth Glennie, PhD, the Project Director of this study at RTI International, at 919-541-6434 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Rebecca J. Guerin

Health Communication Specialist

[email protected]

513-533-8435