More than 150 students from around Otter Tail County had the opportunity to explore future careers in high-demand industries through the OTC Youth Workforce Navigation Program. The initiative organized field trips to 11 businesses representing the agriculture, automotive, healthcare and manufacturing industries between October and January. Students from Perham, New York Mills, Henning, Fergus Falls, Underwood, Parkers Prairie, Ashby and Rothsay high schools attended the field trips to learn more about career pathways in these industries.
Jim Duberowski is a teacher at Parkers Prairie High School and explains the value brought to students through the program: “We are continually seeking experiential learning opportunities for our students, so the Workforce Navigation Program was a perfect fit. This program allowed several of our students to get out of the classroom and see firsthand some of the higher paying in-demand careers that are available to them right here in their own backyard.”
“The tours were eye opening and generated genuine interest in careers that students otherwise were not even thinking about,” Duberowski continued. “The companies who offered the tours were really great hosts and the student feedback was very positive. This is definitely something we will look to continue to offer and expand upon.”
The goal of the field trips was to show students interested in these industries that there are several pathways to choose from they may not know about yet, and these opportunities are available in OTC. For example, the automotive field trip showed students pathways in service and maintenance, sales, auto body repair and restoration, fleet management and commercial driver’s license. The healthcare field trip showed students pathways in surgery, emergency services, long-term and memory care, nutrition services, healthcare information technology and more. The field trips were offered to students ages 16 and up and were made possible in part by to the Youth Skills Training Grant, which the county received from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
OTC is partnering with Amy Johnson of Cardinal Consulting Solutions to be the program manager of the program and organize the field trips. Johnson shared some insight regarding the excursions, “The most exciting part for me is to be able to witness firsthand when a student finds their spark to define a career path. Regardless of industry, that moment is the reward of this work. The value of our youth holding a defined career path is unmeasurable.”
“Finding this spark affects their journey, the workforce and even holds economic impact,” Johnson continued. “It’s limitless and it’s impossible without these opportunities of career exposure and experience. Given the workforce shortage, it’s imperative to offer these career experiences to high school students who are not so far from away from entering the workforce.”
The Youth Workforce Navigation Program is building the future workforce of OTC and bridging relationships between schools and businesses. More field trips will be planned in the future. Businesses interested in engaging with students through business tours, classroom presentations, or internships can register on the K12 Navigator online tool. Schools throughout the county are using the K12 Navigator tool to find businesses willing to offer career exploration experiences for their students.
More information can be found at the following: k12navigator.org.
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