Local mom helps kids guide their future through 'Shamrck'

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Sheffie Robinson wanted to help kids map out their future, and she's providing guidance through a website called "Shamrck," which is pronounced "shamrock".

"No ‘o.’ It was stolen by a leprechaun, and he won't give it back," she joked.

Shamrck is a workforce development platform designed to help middle and high school students explore potential career paths and get training in those paths. Older students are connected to internship opportunities with local businesses.

The Army wife said she and her son experienced some misdirection in their own career interests. 

"That got me to really thinking about how we are socializing kids through the career development process and what education can do to make sure they're successful, and I looked at just how hard it is for education to do that because industries are moving vastly faster," said Robinson. "A lot of students just don't see the value in high school these days much less college. So if we can kind of correlate their futures with where they are in their education path we build better students. They come to the platform, they take what we call an interspaced assessment, which gives them a series of questions about things they're interested in."

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Shamrck works to match students with their ideal career focusing on four "E's."

"Being enrollment, if they're going off to college next. Enlistment, if they're looking at the military. Entrepreneurship if they want to start their own business and employment if they're looking at trades or certification type programs," said Robinson.

It's a free resource that gives students choices.

"For any kid who's just trying to navigate what the future looks like. It's like here let us help you. Let us provide you with a wealth of information. Let us connect you with people in your community that could be pivotal in helping you make these decisions so that you can make the best decision and the right decision the first time," said Robinson.

For more information about Shamrck, visit: https://shamrck.com