What did we talk about?

Just under 50 people from around the county attended the BB2C Community Meeting/Business Advisory Council last Thursday. They represented business, education, and the community. Most importantly, there were 5 high school students there, as well. The topics of the evening? Increasing experiences that guide and shape student’s career decisions, and what is expected of a high school graduate from our area.

The evening started with a panel discussion with the 5 students. Each student is currently taking part in a work-based learning experience of some kind. Two are in the early-release work program at the Career Center working for Mondo Construction, two are a part of the BB2C High School Internship program - one at Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital, and one working for the Ohio Training Committee of Ohio - and the last one is at a local power plant which requested students from Fort Frye High School to intern for them. Each opportunity came about in a different way. What is the same is that each student is able to learn intimate details about the job that they are doing. More importantly, each student has used this knowledge to determine their next steps.

The second part of the evening included small, mixed group discussions. Each group had time to respond to the following questions:

Question 1: What types of career awareness/career development experiences are important for all students/youth?

Question 2: What is the future of work like and how prepared are our students for it?

Question 3: What is your expectation of a student that graduates high school in Washington County?

Responses from the small groups included definite patterns and repeated themes. The first question had 2 types of responses repeated: a) getting businesses in the schools, and b) getting students into the businesses. Three themes appeared in the second question: a) adaptability/life long learning, b) problem solving/critical thinking, and c) transferable skills. The idea of mentoring was mentioned at least 3 times, as well. The final question had a long list, as you can imagine. To see more details about the group responses, you can view the meeting notes available on the website (just scroll to the bottom of the page).

We would like to thank everyone that attended. This is important work that will have an impact on our schools and our local businesses. Stay in touch as we work on developing a county-wide Portrait of a Graduate that will be used to help us make decisions as we develop successful students and prosperous communities.