Vision 2023 'Giving our youth opportunities': Area schools connect with employers to train next the generation of region's workforce

Feb. 25—Jamil Martin didn't know what he wanted to do after graduating from Greater Johnstown High School in 2022, but he was interested in engineering.

Upon further investigation, he discovered that that career required a four-year degree, and he wasn't sure if college was the path he wanted to take — much to the dismay of of his mother, Jamila Carr.

Instead, he began searching for a job after school, wanting to make his own money and contribute to his family.

That's when he was introduced to the Students in the Workplace initiative created at The Challenge Program, which connected him with Richland Township ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker America — where he still works.

"I am totally on board with this program," Carr said. "I really appreciate what they're doing as far as giving our youth opportunities."

The program, launched in 2020 and funded through the state's Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant Program, connects regional schools to employers. To date, it is responsible for linking almost 20 area students with local jobs.

The program provides the students with the opportunity to explore companies' facilities, learn more about family-sustaining jobs in the area and possibly get hired before graduating from high school. The students get exposure to jobs they may not have considered and the companies gain access to the next generation of workers.

Martin, 18, has worked for about a year at Martin-Baker America, where he sands machined parts and removes small imperfections in a process called "deburring." He said he'd never heard of the company before The Challenge Program's initiative, but he enjoys his job, co-workers and employer.

"I feel grateful," Martin said.

His mother is just as thankful. Carr said she appreciates the stability of her son's job and is proud that he chose to work "because there's so many worse paths he could have" pursued.

"Martin-Baker played a major role in that by showing him there's more than what the streets have to offer," she added.

Other connections brokered by The Challenge Program include partnerships between Forest Hills School District and Johnstown-based vacuum truck builder GapVax, and between Chestnut Ridge School District and Bedford County's Corle Building Systems, which manufactures pre-engineered metal buildings — with plans to add more than a dozen more.

"We're glad to be in a position to facilitate that," The Challenge Program President Barbara Grandinetti said.

She said the program model was derived from Martin- Baker America's apprenticeship initiative and The Challenge Program's existing business-to-school partnerships.

Michael Leonard, GapVax procurement manager, said these cooperative agreements are a way to keep students in the area.

His company recently entered its partnership with Forest Hills and has hosted a few tours for students to create connections. He said the school district has taught GapVax how to connect to future workers and keep them in the region.

David Lehman, Forest Hills superintendent, described the TCP initiative as recalibrating for the region. For years, it was understood that students would have to leave the region to find family-sustaining careers, but that thinking is changing, he said.

Lehman said many people — including himself — didn't realize that there were jobs here that needed to be filled. Now he and the others are "reimagining the student experience" and encouraging them to explore local options while curating connections for them.

Michael Parks, TCP program development manager, likened the paradigm shift to improving safety conditions in a workplace. He said both kinds of changes happen because of regular trainings, events, reinforcement and other deliberate acts that lead to positive outcomes.

"These kids need us," Chestnut Ridge Superintendent Mark Kudlawiec said. "What are we going to do for them so they can be the future leaders of the community?"

Kudlawiec said his district's collaboration with Corle Building Systems is beneficial in many ways, such as learning what employers want in workers. Similarly, Kevin Ziance, Corle controller and treasurer, said The Challenge Program has helped the company in numerous ways, including through the partnership with Chestnut Ridge — and he commended the school district for championing the students-in-the-workplace program.

"This happens because of good people and relationships," Grandinetti said.

'Spreading their wings'At Richland High School, this school-to-employer connection takes form as Fridays for the Future, which was started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, put on hold and restarted last year.

"The intent of this is to really get these kids to either stay here, or after getting out, having their adventure and spreading their wings, to come back here and have a great life," Principal Timothy Regan said.

The basis of the program is bringing in employers to talk to students during dedicated time slots on Fridays at the high school. Regan said his goal is for students to succeed — and hopefully to do so in the region.

Several local companies have visited the school, including JWF Industries, Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center and the technology company Sourceree.

Richland senior Leah Chung, who plans to study speech pathology in the fall at the University of Pittsburgh at Johns-town, said the Conemaugh visit stood out to her because she hadn't considered the other career opportunities at the hospital outside the medical field — such as in public relations and accounting.

Getting those experiences is meaningful, she said.

"In the long run, it really does lend itself to helping students find successful careers," Chung said about the program.

"For me, personally, I was really undecided on what I to go into in my future. For the school to introduce me to different employers was really beneficial for me."

Regan noted that a key lesson at Richland is encouraging students to do their research on careers they're interested in, and Chung added that the program gives them that leg up on their peers.

Lehman said that the survival of the community is based on providing meaningful local jobs to the next generation. He noted that area schools need to focus on teamwork and networking with each other.

Another important step, Kudlawiec said, is making sure schools are teaching students the skills they need to be good employees — aspects such as good attendance, community service and self-improvement, which The Challenge Program highlights.

Jason Corte, a teacher at Greater Johnstown High School who works with the TCP program, said teaching students those "soft skills" is extremely important. His district plans to implement an "employability" workshop for high school seniors to help.