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Taylor Porter Managing Partner Skip Philips was interviewed and pictured in the Baton Rouge Business Report’s article, “When It Opens This Fall, Cristo Rey Will Combine Education With Corporate Experience,” featuring Cristo Rey Baton Rouge High School’s effort to use a corporate work study program to supplement tuition costs for its unprivileged students.

Intrigued by the concept, Philips led the charge for Taylor Porter to partner with the school to offer work to its students. He says he also was curious about what a 14-year-old was capable of doing in a corporate work environment.

“What will they do here? We went through that same internal discussion, but the nature of our work is an office-based practice and there is enough clerical and office work to do in the confines of our office,” Philips says. “My expectation is that we are going to have some very inquisitive 14-year-olds who will do very well in a law firm environment. There’s the old adage about earning things instead of being given to you, and this is a method by which these kids can earn their education.”

Cristo Rey is a Chicago network of 30 high schools across the country that uses the combined efforts of corporate work placement and education, and the idea has come to Baton Rouge. Business leaders, including Philips, said the model is a useful way to introduce young students to corporate life.

“We understand they’re young and don’t have work experience and this is all new to them, but they want to be part of this. Their family will be part of this,” Philips says. “This is a clean slate. They don’t know what they don’t know. We’re here to make sure they have meaningful work to do, and if they have any growing to do, I think they will grow very quickly."

There are 41 businesses in Baton Rouge that are potential corporate partners, says James Llorens, president of Cristo Rey Baton Rouge High School. When the students begin school next August they will work locally in the health care industry, law offices, banks, construction companies, governmental agencies and accounting firms. All of the students will be trained prior to the start of school to learn corporate etiquette and other “soft skills,” Llorens says.