Over 200 local graduating seniors participate in Senior Seminar Day
Published 8:25 am Wednesday, October 26, 2016
- Photo submitted Dan Yates, left, James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital public relations and marketing director, talks to Mercer County and Burgin Schools’ seniors about the various careers in the medical profession. More than 150 seniors toured the facility. Several hospital staff met with the group of students to educate them on what each department within the hospital did as well as educational requirements and potential salary in the medical field.
Harrodsburg/Mercer Co. Industrial Development Authority
News release
HARRODSBURG — On Sept. 20, over 200 seniors from Burgin and Mercer County High Schools participated in the second annual Senior Seminar Day with local industry. Harrodsburg/Mercer County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Dick Webb developed and organized the event, assisted by over 35 participating community agencies.
Each senior was able to visit two of the six local industries (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) where they received a tour of the facility and an hour long presentation about the company. Between visits, Whitaker Bank provided lunch for the students, teachers and bus drivers at Anderson Dean Park. Each industry presented information on the following areas:
• What They Manufacture/Operations
• Jobs Available-All Education Levels/Wages/Benefits/Advancement Potential
• Application Process
• Skills/Education Required/Tuition Reimbursement/Paid Training
• Importance of Soft Skills, i.e. Attendance, Work Ethic, Responsibilities, Communication with Others
• What Makes Their Industry the Best Place to Work.
Students were given exit slips at the end of the day that included what specific areas of either industry was of interest to them for future employment. The exit slips will be reviewed and sorted according to industry. These forms will then be returned to the industry site for human resource personnel to review and make a determination as to future contact with the students.
Webb said, “The day was extremely successful and continues to accomplish our goals and get better each year. I am very happy with our results. It is the goal of this program to increase the quality of the workforce by raising awareness on behalf of both the students and the industries as to future workplace and workforce opportunities. Building a relationship between education and industry can only benefit the entire community in a positive way.”
It was a total community venture that included representatives from Mercer Co. Schools, Burgin Independent Schools, Corning, Inc., Hitachi Automotive, Kentucky Utilities-E.W. Brown Plant, Haggin Hospital, Toyota Boshoku, SCA, Inc. (formerly Wausau Paper) andWhitaker Bank.
