Skip to content

    Recently Viewed

      Listening...

      A Local High School Student (Left) Spent the Day Alongside CEO General Robert Wood Johnson (Right)
      A Local High School Student (Left) Spent the Day Alongside CEO General Robert Wood Johnson (Right)

      A day in modern industry: The Johnson & Johnson program that gave high school kids a peek into the working world

      Before there was Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, this trailblazing program gave thousands of students the chance to shadow people across the company.

      Share Article
      share to

      Q:

      Deciding what you want to be when you grow up can be a tough decision when you’re in high school. How did Johnson & Johnson’s “A Day in Modern Industry” program help expose kids to different careers?

      A:

      Margaret Gurowitz, Chief Historian: The company launched the teen-focused program in 1947, with the idea to invite local high school students to spend a day at Johnson & Johnson so they could learn about different careers available in business and the connection between those careers and their education. It was a new concept then—and decades ahead of its time.

      The program was the brainchild of a Johnson & Johnson employee named Vincent Utz, a World War II veteran who joined the company in 1945 as Supervisor of Employee Activities. Utz was well-known for embodying the values of Johnson & Johnson’s Credo, the company’s guiding mission statement, which includes a tenet on its responsibility to the local community.

      Students Interested in Science Careers Learned About Laboratory Research At Johnson & Johnson

      Students interested in science careers learned about laboratory research at Johnson & Johnson

      Image courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives

      Each spring, starting in May 1947, between 200 and 300 teens came to Johnson & Johnson from schools near New Brunswick, New Jersey, where the company was—and still is—headquartered. The day began with a group briefing in which the students got an overview of the company and its different divisions; they then split into groups and shadowed employees working in careers they might want to pursue.

      Johnson & Johnson staffers from all over the company were involved, including scientists, lawyers, accountants and those working in the manufacturing and shipping departments. One lucky student even got to shadow then-CEO General Robert Wood Johnson for the day, experiencing firsthand what it takes to run a company.

      “A Day in Modern Industry” was such a success that it was covered by hundreds of news outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, WCBS and ABC. As a result, other companies soon wanted to try the program—and Johnson & Johnson even published a manual for other businesses to follow.

      Although the program ended at Johnson & Johnson in the 1950s, Utz’s concept of giving young people the chance to try out a career for a day lives on at the company.

      In addition to celebrating Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day each April, we have a program within the company called Bridge to Employment. It helps young people navigate the gap between high school and employment in the healthcare field by providing them with career coaching and job shadowing opportunities at Johnson & Johnson locales around the world.

      When you’ve been innovating for over 135 years …

      Johnson & Johnson has a virtual museum where you can learn more fun facts about its rich history.

      More from Johnson & Johnson

      Innovation
      Blue latex-gloved hands holding a beaker filled with yellow liquid
      Innovation

      IBD rates are rising in communities of color. Can these innovators help?

      Scientists aren’t sure what’s behind the upward trend. That’s why Johnson & Johnson Innovation put out the call to address this troubling health disparity.
      Health & wellness
      Health worker participating in the Johnson and Johnson single-use device recycling program
      Health & wellness

      3 ways Johnson & Johnson is helping make healthcare more sustainable

      Climate change is intertwined with just about every industry worldwide, including healthcare. Here, a look at how Johnson & Johnson is taking action to help support a healthy planet.
      Innovation
      DNA illustration genetic material
      Innovation

      Harnessing the human genome is the future of healthcare—and Johnson & Johnson is helping lead the way

      The company’s partnership with the largest human genome sequencing project in the world will increase scientists’ understanding of genetic diseases and help create new interventions. Here, a look at the breakthroughs that have guided the understanding of the power of DNA.
      You are now leaving JNJ.com and going to a site with a different privacy policy. Please click below to continue to that site.