Business and Education Collaboration
Today was the first meeting of the 2007-2008 school year for the Butler County Counselors’ Association. I take great pride in being a member of an organization that represents school counselors and agency counselors that work in schools serving the needs (and there are a lot of them) of our students. Our meetings present relevant information regarding the heart and soul of the profession as provided by peers, other professionals, or community groups. Counselors from elementary schools, middle/junior high schools, and high schools are invited to join and contribute ideas for break-out presentations during our meetings. The networking and learning are so valuable to us.
Our theme for this year is manufacturing. Butler County, PA contains a vital manufacturing community offering career opportunities, educational opportunities, and a sustainable wage for its employees.The Manufacturing Association that represents over 30 local manufacturing companies and the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board are determined to keep our manufacturing community alive through outreach activities.
Our meeting was held in the LIGHT (educational) center of Penn United Corporation. It was a wonderful day with tours and information about careers in manufacturing. Penn United provided a delicious lunch and tons of information to snack on later.
The members of the Manufacturing Consortium are actively marketing local manufacturing career opportunities to high school students. They have created viewable clips, with the cooperation of and access through the local cable provider, about the consortium member’s companies and the careers available with those companies. The Consortium has created a brochure to be used as a class scheduling tool. These folks have a great product and want to access potential employees through education.
I would love to hear from you about what has worked for your community as it tackles educating students about local career opportunities in order to retain them as qualified workers after graduation. Do you use local Workforce Investment Boards-or whatever your state calls them- for funding or funding support? How much input does the business community have with your CTE and with your local school districts? What are some activities local businesses sponsor in your school or school community?
I hope you have an amazing day!
