2006
Job Shadow Event a Success!
Volunteers from Many Professions Take Youth to Work for a Day
The two-day Job Shadow event, sponsored by the College Now program at Arkansas Northeastern College, matched eleventh grade students from Armorel, Blytheville, Gosnell, Osceola, and Rivercrest with "career mentors" in Job Shadowing experiences throughout Mississippi County.
With approximately 65 students and 30 businesses, industries, government agencies and numerous other organizations participating, the expectations for the eighth annual Job Shadow Day were far surpassed. The overwhelming support of the event is greatly appreciated by the event coordinators, school districts, counselors, teachers, and students. The College Now program at Arkansas Northeastern College gives students the opportunity to get an up-close look at the world of work by allowing them to "shadow" at a participating business. "Job shadowing provides a unique opportunity to make the world of work come alive for the county's young people," Charisse Childers, College Now director, stated "They get to see how what they learn in the classroom leads to success in the workplace."
The Job Shadow Day began with a brief orientation session for the students. The students were then directed to their workplaces. The students and workplace hosts returned at noon for a luncheon. Mike Lester, Program Director and KJAM on-air personality at Sudbury Broadcasting, was the guest speaker at the luncheon in Osceola. Mr. Lester told the students that, "The decisions you make now will affect the choices and opportunities you have in the future. He also encouraged the students to make short-term commitments that will lead to long-term commitments, and by participating in this experience, the students are already soaring high; it is up to them "how high."
The guest speaker for the luncheon held in Blytheville was Monte Hodges. Mr. Hodges is the Assistant Vice-President of Lending at Farmer's Bank and Trust. Mr. Hodges, who recently earned the award of Citizen of the Year by the Blytheville-Gosnell Area Chamber of Commerce, emphasized to the students the importance of continued training and education beyond high school, learning from others, and most importantly "having a positive attitude." He encouraged the students to make sure that they take advantage of every opportunity along the way.
Many businesses look forward to participating in the annual Job Shadow event. Great River Medical Center in Blytheville and South Mississippi County Regional Medical Center in Osceola participated in the event for the eighth year. These workplace hosts express the enthusiasm that many in this community share. "I think it's important that we show the young people of Mississippi County that adults care about their future. This is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the link between school and the workplace, and really give kids a hands-on experience of what it takes to succeed in a profession or industry," stated Lavella McWilliams, Marketing and Community Relations Director at Great River Medical Center.
American Greetings, also a long-time participant in the Job Shadow event, takes advantage of events such as this as an opportunity to recruit new employees. Jason Clements, Assistant Human Resource Manager at American Greetings, stated "The challenge of finding and retaining new employees in the 21st century is a major concern. The Job Shadow Day is a small part of our overall recruiting program. It gives us the opportunity to show future employees the different types of careers possible with American Greetings."
Mississippi County Electric Cooperative has participated in job shadowing and in the summer teacher internships over the past few years and appreciates the opportunity to form educational partnerships. Pat O'Neil, Senior Vice-President of Cooperative Services at MCEC stated "The opportunity to have students job shadow at Mississippi County Electric Cooperative (MCEC) helps us stay in touch with the youth in our community that some day will be prospective employees. MCEC is owned by the consumers we serve and we are guided by a set of seven principles that reflect the best interests of the consumers we serve. The fifth of these cooperative principles is providing education, training and information, while the seventh is concern for community. The job shadow program encompasses both of these principles nicely. We think it is a very worthwhile program that gives the students an inside look at how the cooperative and other businesses and industries work."
The Job Shadow day coordinators, Charisse Childers and Amber Smith, along with Educational Talent Search representatives Cathy Lee and Courtney Fisher, thank all the businesses and industries that participated in this worthwhile event. If you are interested in obtaining information about future Job Shadow Days, have an interest in speaking to students about careers or participating in work-based learning event, please contact the College Now office at Arkansas Northeastern College.