SIDNEY — High School Seniors from around the county had the opportunity to engage with local industry leaders during Monday’s Power Lunch event. The event, coordinated by Workforce Partnership of Shelby County, was held at Amos Memorial Library with the purpose of connecting upcoming graduates to local employers and their careers.
Students from Anna, Botkins, Fairlawn, Lehman, Russia and Sidney high schools participated and had the opportunity to begin their career search prior to graduation. Mick Given, Board of Directors Chair for Workforce Partnership, provided opening statements. A networking luncheon started the event, which led into a series of sessions where the students met with 10-12 different representatives. The students commented that this event was very beneficial and provided them the opportunity to learn about Shelby County companies and the vast number of local employment pathways available. They also were impressed with how welcoming the company representatives were and the advice they provided.
Eighteen companies supported the event, which included American Trim, Area Energy & Electric, Cargill, Detailed Machining, Emerson, Ferguson Construction, Freshway, Honda of America Mfg., Kirk NationaLease, Lochard Inc., NK Parts, Ohio Living Dorothy Love, Panel Control Inc., Plastipak, Slagle Mechanical, Wayne Trail-Lincoln Electric, Wells Brothers, and Wilson Health.
“The Power Lunch was an amazing event! It was a great opportunity to paint a picture of potential career paths ranging from entry level to upper management positions that we offer. We were able to spend one-on-one time with each student to learn about their skill sets and passions and how those could transfer into the positions we have available. This personalized approach allowed connections to be made and we anticipate making job offers pre-graduation,” said Amanda Card, Lochard Inc.
Natalie Plate, Human Resource Director at Wells Brothers added, “Wells Brothers, was excited to participate in another great event sponsored by Shelby County Workforce Partnership. It’s great to support an organization that does so much to introduce students to the local career opportunities available to them.”
Deb McDermott, Workforce Partnership Director, concluded, “This was our inaugural Power Lunch event, and we were very impressed with the students’ interest and attention. They are graduating at a time when the job market offers so many opportunities, and there is a dire need in every industry to recruit employees who are dependable and motivated. Many careers can be entered directly after high school graduation and provide unlimited growth potential. Also, as always, a huge thank you to our partners for their time and support.”
