Cassville R-IV teams with area businesses, local college to identify job skill needs
October 30, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
The world is ever-changing. Workplaces and their needs are constantly evolving, necessitating change from those around them to compensate. Understanding this, Cassville R-IV school district has been making strides to keep the district in-line with the changing times.
Recently, members of the school’s administration has been meeting with others in the community to foster a new kind of relationship between the school, employers, technical schools and the local college.
“We had a meeting last week with two gentlemen from Crowder College that started a program with career and technical centers in the region,” said Traci Mitchell, Cassville’s director of learning.
This program is the Southwest Missouri Career Pathways Coalition, a program designed to assist educators in helping train students in the skills they need to succeed in their communities post-grad.
During the meeting, Cassville representatives were given information about the workforce demographics in Barry County. The packet distributed during this meeting contained a detailed break-down regarding the jobs in the county, also identifying their level of growth and median income.
For Barry County, the top three professions available are: manufacturing and production, with 3,066 jobs available and an average hourly earning of $15.23; office and administration, with a total of 1,864 jobs in the county and a median hourly earning of $13.84; and sales, 1,443 jobs and a median hourly wage of $11.23.
According to Mitchell, the school will use this information as a means to better prepare their students for the job market in Barry County. The district will do this by working closely with Crowder College and local employers to create channels of communication about their needs, effectively ensuring that every graduate leaves the district with a plan for either higher education, technical education or skilled labor.
“They’re helping build the relationship between schools, career and technical centers and area business and industries,” explained Cassville High School principal Keith Robertson. “They’re trying to identify what industries are a growth industry and what jobs are going to be available based on trends from the bureau of labor. They’re also finding ways to make connections between secondary schools to help us produce work-ready graduates.
“We’re identifying those job areas that have a lot of growth or need and establishing relationships with local businesses and having them engage with us in the educational process. It’s a paradigm shift. We’re looking at what it’s going to take to produce a college-ready or work-force-ready student in 2020 and beyond.”
The administration and the student body aren’t alone in these efforts, however. According to Robertson, Cassville teachers have also been making scheduled visits to area employers, meeting with them to discuss the kind of workforce skills that they would like to see fostered in the classroom.
“We’re also looking at targeting professional learning for our staff and our teachers so that they know what’s available in our community,” explained Mitchell. “Some of our staff need better direction in helping our students prepare for careers.”
“Teachers from all content areas have been visiting area businesses and being a part of panel and roundtable discussions,” Robertson further explained.
Robertson explained that teachers from the district have so far visited with Mercy Cassville and Jack Henry and Associates. He explained that another trip to Arning Companies, Inc., of Cassville, was planned for sometime in November.
In the meantime, according to both Mitchell and Robertson, they have begun working with students on some of the success skills that these employers all claim to have a common need for.
“The number one type of skills that they’re trying to get us to get to students are soft-skills, employability skills,” said Mitchell. “They say for every ten that they hire they fire seven for not showing up on time or not having appropriate relationships with their co-workers. So, we’re focusing not only on hands-on career skills, but also those soft skills because they are vital.”
“Some parents and students get frustrated with us because we focus so much on attendance,” continued Mitchell. “That is what the employers are telling us. They can’t get people to work or to work on time. That’s why we talk so much about tardies and absences. We want to be in direct alignment with what our business and economic leaders are telling us.”
Mitchell and Robertson also explained that the district is changing its views on cellphones and computers in the classroom, seeing them more as tools that need instructions on proper use, rather than a distraction.
“Having access to these tools that can connect you to everyone, we’re trying to teach them that they can use them at the appropriate times. It’s not like some kind of epidemic, these kids aren’t on their phones all the time. It’s just how we are now as a society. We’re not trying to get the kids away from this stuff, we’re trying to provide it to them and show them how to use these tools in the appropriate manner.”
“I know that sometimes, we get some frustration for not banning them completely, but that’s not the real world. That’s what they’ll see when they get out into the real world,” continued Mitchell.
Mitchell concluded, stating that the school would be continuing to work on other soft-skills that have always been universal to employment. These include: teamwork, team building and critical thinking.
“The world is changing so quickly,” said Mitchell. “We must train our students to think critically. We say it all the time, we’re training them for jobs that don’t exist.”
Robertson stated that the school is currently looking into the viability of externship programs with area businesses, but that considerations regarding liability and student safety will have to be made. According to him, the district is currently identifying candidates that could help make this pilot program a reality.
For more information about changing education dynamics or other administrative decisions, contact the Cassville R-IV Central Office at (417) 847-2221.
Vinnie Roberts
The world is ever-changing. Workplaces and their needs are constantly evolving, necessitating change from those around them to compensate. Understanding this, Cassville R-IV school district has been making strides to keep the district in-line with the changing times.
Recently, members of the school’s administration has been meeting with others in the community to foster a new kind of relationship between the school, employers, technical schools and the local college.
“We had a meeting last week with two gentlemen from Crowder College that started a program with career and technical centers in the region,” said Traci Mitchell, Cassville’s director of learning.
This program is the Southwest Missouri Career Pathways Coalition, a program designed to assist educators in helping train students in the skills they need to succeed in their communities post-grad.
During the meeting, Cassville representatives were given information about the workforce demographics in Barry County. The packet distributed during this meeting contained a detailed break-down regarding the jobs in the county, also identifying their level of growth and median income.
For Barry County, the top three professions available are: manufacturing and production, with 3,066 jobs available and an average hourly earning of $15.23; office and administration, with a total of 1,864 jobs in the county and a median hourly earning of $13.84; and sales, 1,443 jobs and a median hourly wage of $11.23.
According to Mitchell, the school will use this information as a means to better prepare their students for the job market in Barry County. The district will do this by working closely with Crowder College and local employers to create channels of communication about their needs, effectively ensuring that every graduate leaves the district with a plan for either higher education, technical education or skilled labor.
“They’re helping build the relationship between schools, career and technical centers and area business and industries,” explained Cassville High School principal Keith Robertson. “They’re trying to identify what industries are a growth industry and what jobs are going to be available based on trends from the bureau of labor. They’re also finding ways to make connections between secondary schools to help us produce work-ready graduates.
“We’re identifying those job areas that have a lot of growth or need and establishing relationships with local businesses and having them engage with us in the educational process. It’s a paradigm shift. We’re looking at what it’s going to take to produce a college-ready or work-force-ready student in 2020 and beyond.”
The administration and the student body aren’t alone in these efforts, however. According to Robertson, Cassville teachers have also been making scheduled visits to area employers, meeting with them to discuss the kind of workforce skills that they would like to see fostered in the classroom.
“We’re also looking at targeting professional learning for our staff and our teachers so that they know what’s available in our community,” explained Mitchell. “Some of our staff need better direction in helping our students prepare for careers.”
“Teachers from all content areas have been visiting area businesses and being a part of panel and roundtable discussions,” Robertson further explained.
Robertson explained that teachers from the district have so far visited with Mercy Cassville and Jack Henry and Associates. He explained that another trip to Arning Companies, Inc., of Cassville, was planned for sometime in November.
In the meantime, according to both Mitchell and Robertson, they have begun working with students on some of the success skills that these employers all claim to have a common need for.
“The number one type of skills that they’re trying to get us to get to students are soft-skills, employability skills,” said Mitchell. “They say for every ten that they hire they fire seven for not showing up on time or not having appropriate relationships with their co-workers. So, we’re focusing not only on hands-on career skills, but also those soft skills because they are vital.”
“Some parents and students get frustrated with us because we focus so much on attendance,” continued Mitchell. “That is what the employers are telling us. They can’t get people to work or to work on time. That’s why we talk so much about tardies and absences. We want to be in direct alignment with what our business and economic leaders are telling us.”
Mitchell and Robertson also explained that the district is changing its views on cellphones and computers in the classroom, seeing them more as tools that need instructions on proper use, rather than a distraction.
“Having access to these tools that can connect you to everyone, we’re trying to teach them that they can use them at the appropriate times. It’s not like some kind of epidemic, these kids aren’t on their phones all the time. It’s just how we are now as a society. We’re not trying to get the kids away from this stuff, we’re trying to provide it to them and show them how to use these tools in the appropriate manner.”
“I know that sometimes, we get some frustration for not banning them completely, but that’s not the real world. That’s what they’ll see when they get out into the real world,” continued Mitchell.
Mitchell concluded, stating that the school would be continuing to work on other soft-skills that have always been universal to employment. These include: teamwork, team building and critical thinking.
“The world is changing so quickly,” said Mitchell. “We must train our students to think critically. We say it all the time, we’re training them for jobs that don’t exist.”
Robertson stated that the school is currently looking into the viability of externship programs with area businesses, but that considerations regarding liability and student safety will have to be made. According to him, the district is currently identifying candidates that could help make this pilot program a reality.
For more information about changing education dynamics or other administrative decisions, contact the Cassville R-IV Central Office at (417) 847-2221.
