Mobile Workforce Day drives career awareness at Clear Fork

BELLVILLE — Austin McCune isn’t quite sure what the future holds after graduation. But after Friday’s Mobile Workforce Day at Clear Fork High School, McCune is more aware of his options.

“I’ve learned about a bunch of job opportunities I didn’t really know about before,” he said. “I’ll be looking for a job after school’s over, so it’s really helpful to learn about careers I hadn’t thought of before.”

Clear Fork’s Mobile Workforce Day brought together 41 employers from in and around southern Richland County.

Numerous construction, utility and law enforcement vehicles sat parked in the yard. A mobile dog groomer came, as well as a trailer with a traveling boutique.

Recruiters from the United States Army, Marines and Air Force were also in attendance.

The annual event gives middle and high school students the chance to ask questions and try hands-on activities.

Kokosing Construction allowed students to sit in a small excavator, manipulating the arm to knock over a set of bowling pins.

Adam Brokaw, who owns his own construction company, handed over a set of tools to a group of high school girls. They giggled as they took turns drilling screws into a sheet of drywall.

A group of workers from the Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative stood in a semicircle as they talked with a trio of eighth grade boys, who posed their questions from the telescopic bucket of a truck.

At each station, employers stamped a participation card after they spoke with students. Once they visited at least six career stations, the kids were allowed to purchase from the seven food trucks parked onsite.

Judy Golden, who works in the high school guidance office, called it the high school version of field day.

“They love it. It also gets them thinking about their future and jobs available right outside their back door,” said Golden, a testing coordinator and college and career readiness advisors.

“Hopefully, they can use their high school years to plan, because we know that not everybody’s going to college, nor should they.”

“Find your passion and go from there”

Billy Saunders of Kokosing Construction said events like mobile workforce day aren’t just beneficial for students. Employers value the chance to build name recognition and promote themselves to future workers.

“Workforce development is a huge concern for every employer,” he said.

“Getting kids to start thinking about their careers so that they can figure out what they want, so that they can figure out their path is so important.”

Saunders and his colleagues told students about the company’s opportunities for internships, apprenticeships and co-ops.

“You don’t have to have a college education to make great money in the construction industry,” said Nick Poth, an equipment foreman for Kokosing.

Nevertheless, there are also roles at Kokosing that require a college degree.

Saunders said he knew he wanted to operate heavy equipment as a 5-year-old, playing with toy trucks in a sandbox.

He encouraged students to think about what they enjoy doing and chart their course from there.

“I went through that four-year (apprenticeship) program and got paid to learn instead of paying to learn. It’s a great way to get into the construction field,” he said.

“They were pushing me to go to college. That was not the way to go to get where I wanted to go. But if you want to be a mechanic, you need a two-year degree. If you want to be an engineer you need a four year degree.”

“I think the one big thing is getting people to figure out what they want to do, find their passion and then figure out how to get there.”