Today is the first day of a very important week-long experience for several local educators.
Show Me Careers is a program developed by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cape Chamber is partnering with them on delivery in this area. The program is a workforce development effort as the shortage of available workers continues to be a real challenge for employers. Show Me Careers was created to expose career opportunities available for high school graduates to high school counselors, teachers, and administrators. Statewide, approximately 160 of those professionals representing 15 school districts are slated to participate in 2021.
Participants tour facilities so they can see and learn firsthand about job opportunities for graduates. Educators are allowed to interact, interview, and in some cases, perform some of these tasks leaving them a better understand of real-world positions available in the community.
Several local employers are participating in the program including Saint Francis Healthcare System, SoutheastHEALTH, Procter & Gamble, and Havco. Local employers are aware of their future workforce needs and familiar with misleading perceptions of their industries. They welcome this effort.
Statistics tell us between 30-35% of regional high school graduates do not go on to institutions of higher education. Therefore, the better they understand opportunities available with area employers, the greater the likelihood they’ll stick around and positively affect our workforce.
