Amy Achs, AP Erie Correspondent
In an ongoing effort to help students decide what careers they might want to pursue, Erie High School hosted a “career morning” last Friday for freshmen through seniors with about 20 different options for students to investigate including the military, two unions, Clinton Community College, John Deere, and Exelon among many others.
The complete list is below but local businesses and residents also participated to share their experience and help students see what is available including Natalie Wildt (paramedic) & Kelly Johnson (nurse), Jessica Adams (police), Scott Melton (business), Isabelle McWilliams (Harvest Bakery), and Heather Wuebben (business) to name a few.
In the past juniors at EHS would have gone to Sauk Community College for a career day and sophomores would go to Clinton Community College, but COVID prevented that, so Brittney Ramos put together representatives from various career areas. Students had a chance to visit three sessions. The event was well-received by students and senior Gunnar Wuebben stated, “”I learned that local companies have a ton of job opportunities even right out of high school.”
Another opportunity for students to figure out what they might want to be when they grow up is through the Whiteside Area Career Center (WACC) or what most of us grew up calling vocational school — VOC. Today’s vocational school is different in many ways with more options and the ability to obtain certificates in programs that will allow students to enter the workforce quicker and with more qualifications. WACC programs are open to juniors and seniors with spaces limited as we share the facilities with other area schools. Erie has an average of 20 students taking WACC classes and the popular certificate earning programs are welding, certified nursing assistant (CNA) and phlebotomy. Last week, Erie Middle School 8th graders visited the WACC facilities and were shown all the options available to them, so they could start planning their future paths as they are about to enter high school. The earlier a student decides to take this path, the easier it is to meet all the requirements.
A newer program available to EHS seniors is the engineering classes in Principals of Engineering or auto cad at the Morrison Institute of Technology (MIT). This gives students the ability to earn early credit towards a degree or certificate at MIT. Students take classes during school hours and drive themselves to Morrison each day. There is a fee for the classes, but the Erie School District pays a portion of the tuition back depending on the grades students earn.
Additionally, in a normal school year, sophomores would participate in a manufacturing day sponsored by MIT and WACC in which students actually visit an area business. In the past they have visited Timken and Wahl among other businesses.
Overall, students at EHS are exposed to multiple options to discover what they might want to be, and it actually starts in middle school. Sixth graders explore possible job options and the educational path that is needed to reach those goals and end by writing a letter to their future selves setting goals for themselves in middle school, high school, and future possible careers. Students then receive their letter back on high school graduation day. In 7th grade they usually visit MIT and in 8th grade they visited WACC this year and often visit other area career fairs as they are available. In English, 8th graders research a career field and write a brochure detailing the job description, education/training requirements, and salary with a mock job fair. The district is purchasing Xello Career Exploration Curriculum to be used district-wide, elementary through high school, that will still include an interest inventory, skills inventory, and learning styles inventory but adds even more up to date career information and activities. The district had previously used the Career Cruising Curriculum with 8th graders and freshmen. Freshmen also take a quarter class focusing on careers.
CAREER MORNING SESSIONS
1. Local 4 Carpenters Union- Curt Determan
2. Military – Gabriel Rodriguez and Skylar Steimle
3. John Deere- James Hotchkiss
4. Timken – Heather Wuebben and Coworkers
5. BHC Career Path- Gabbie Hurtado
6. College Balancing Act- Kari Hanson Clinton CC
7. How to Interview/Resume Tips- Rob Schadt Clinton CC
8. Exelon – Paul Dempsey and Coworkers
9. Business- Wahl -Scott Melton
10. Healthcare – Nurse/Paramedic- Kelly Johnson, Natalie Wildt
11. Graphic Arts -Brent Jamison & Janel Stahr
12. Auto/Welding/Diesel + Transportation – Walmart Distribution-Andrea Zinanni & UTI-Bruce Bausman
13. Agriculture – Gold Star FS- Lauren Johnson
14. Hospitality – Harvest Bakery-Greg Simmins and Isabelle McWilliams
15. Fire/Police/EMT- Tod McCullough and Jessica and Kyle Barber
16. Local 25 Plumbers & Pipefitters JATC- Chuck McNight
17. Cosmetology – Jessica Mammosser
18. Education – EHS staff
19. Finance – recording
20. CNA- recording
