With the abundance of worker shortages at large and small local businesses, the need for offering high school students early and meaningful work experiences also seems to be growing.
To address the need for offering teens more vocational training opportunities, a first-ever workforce development tour in Northfield took place last Wednesday.
The Made in Northfield Workforce Development Tour was a collaborative effort by Northfield Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Development, Inc. of Rice and Steel Counties, Northfield High School, Arcadia Charter School and Northfield Area Learning Center.
Forty area juniors and seniors signed up for the five-hour, five stop bus tour that included visits to five businesses, lunch and visits with representatives from eight additional businesses.
On March 20, the students boarded a school bus and headed for tours at Northfield Retirement Community (health science and culinary); Cardinal Glass (manufacturing); Northfield Police Station (law enforcement/law/human services); Northfield Automotive (automotive/sales) and Community Resource Bank (finance).
After lunch, the students rotated through table talks with representatives from the following area businesses: Central Farm Service (agriculture); Aurora Pharmaceutical (big animal pharm); Northfield Construction Company builders (construction); KYMN (communications); Believet (animal science/dog training); Mechanical Systems, Inc. (welding/electrical/plumbing); and Above & Beyond CDL Driving Academy (transportation).
“Our goal of the day was to give a broad glimpse of many different career paths to the students,” said Kim Purscell, an employer outreach specialist for Rice and Steel Counties at Workforce Development, Inc.
“The benefits are unmeasurable,” said Mark Ensrud, a certified counselor at Northfield High School who helped recruit students, along with fellow counselor Marckileine Legros for the Made in Northfield day.
Melissa Gilpin, human resources representative at Northfield Retirement Community, told the students about on the job training opportunities in nursing as resident aids, universal works and LPN and RN nurses, dietary as dietary aides, servers, cooks and managers and in housekeeping. All the positions offered continued education.
“We are hiring full-time, part-time, casual and on call,” she said. “We give a tuition reimbursement of 75% for anyone who pursues a geriatric care related field.”
Gilpin said working at an independent living, assisted living and memory care facility for aging seniors was not like other jobs. “This is not like asking ‘Do you want paper or plastic?’ or ‘Would you like fries with that?’” she said. “These residents depend on us.”
Vern Volkert, plant manager at Cardinal CG, said he started his career at the Northfield manufacturing plant when it opened in 1986. “This business has grown so much,” he told the group as they toured the 375,000 square foot facility located on Northfield’s westside. “The technology has changed so much that we are constantly teaching employees. We are not stagnant.”
Cardinal Glass employees 125 workers, but with a 24/7 operational schedule they could easily hit more employees. Volkert said all employees must go through an almost two-week training. “We Cardinalize you,” he said with a laugh.
Gospel Kordah with Workforce Development Inc., said he has been working with area high schools to promote partnerships with area businesses that would extend employment opportunities to teens along with training certificates.
Rather than simply lecture from a powerpoint, P.T. Haider, deputy chief of police in Northfield, fielded questions from the students for about 30 minutes. Using humor, Haider answered questions about guns, handcuffs, tasers and car chases as well hours in a shift, starting salaries and ride alongs.
“The best part of the day about being a cop is working with people in the community,” he said.
Jacob McQuiston, general manager and one of four owners at Northfield Automotive, said he was very impressed with the students who toured the sales, service and parts departments at his newly remodeled business. “There are a lot of career options for students here,” he said.
With 30 employees, McQuiston said the automotive field can be fun as well as lucrative. “We are trying to cultivate a team who want to establish relationships with our customers and help fulfill their wants and needs.”
In the last few years, the data shows there has been an increasing number of Northfield High School graduates who have elected to enter the workforce and stay in the workforce, said Shane Baier, Northfield High School principal. That percentage increased after COVID-19 and has lingered to around 15% of the graduating class, with 60% headed to four-year college and 15-20% going to a two-year community college/tech school.
“This could be a sign of the times,” said Ensrud. “In a two-college town like Northfield with an intense preparation pathway towards attending a four-year college, perhaps the idea that some students would rather enter the workforce right away needs to be more accepted by parents.”
Baier said that education trends are showing that by giving students more exposure to workplace options can prove nearly as important in their personal development as learning how to think, write and communicate in a classroom experience.
“The number of students who need stepping stones to their next experience as they become adults shows us why work-based learning experiences are so valuable,” he said.
Also valuable is to provide younger students an opportunity to start considering career options. Baier said earlier this month, 10th graders were treated to a career fair held in Cannon Falls.
Jane Bartho, president of the Northfield Chamber of Commerce, said she felt fortunate to be part of the team that collaborated with the high schools and WorkForce Development, Inc. to help bring the tour to fruition.
“Employers participated once they understood the purpose and I think that their willingness to participate is evidence of their commitment to investing in our community’s future workforce,” said Bartho. “After the tour, we gathered feedback through employer surveys to enhance the experience for both employers and students in future tours. This collaborative initiative exemplifies the power of partnership in fostering meaningful connections between education and industry, ultimately shaping a brighter economic future for all.”
Purscell agreed with Bartho’s assessment that community partnerships are powerful, and cited a comment she heard from one student upon his return to school.
“One student in particular has been extremely anxious about what he was going to do after graduation in two months, but by the end of the Made in Northfield day, he had identified an employer where he would like to work, and was feeling excited and hopeful for his future,” she said.
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