12/12/13 - Local companies got a chance to see first-hand potential high-skill employees of the future right in their own backyard. The Livingston County Talent Tour offered manufacturing companies a chance to visit local high schools Wednesday morning to observe the programs students are involved in. Tim Jackson, Director of Career and Technical Education at the Livingston Educational Service Agency, believes such âfield tripsâ for employers are beneficial to students and the community. Jackson tells WHMI making the connection from employer to student will ensure local quality employees. Employers had the opportunity to tour Pinckney and Howell High School classrooms that specialized in engineering, robotics and machine technology. They were also encouraged to reach out to students to get a better grasp of the extent of a particular studentâs knowledge, as well as offer potential internships and job positions. Joe Merryman, a manufacturing manager at Novi Precision Products Incorporated, says he specifically came on the tour looking for younger talent. Merryman tells WHMI his company is reaching out to students who want to learn the machine shop trade. Sean Hickman, Robotics Instructor at Pinckney High School, told visiting employers that his studentâs technical content is going to be very high. Hickmanâs goal is to send kids into either 2 or 4 year programs or right into the workforce. Among trade skills and career planning, Hickman says one of the things he focuses on is the importance of being on time. Howell School Board Secretary Kim Witt, who serves on the district's 21st Century Technology Committee and School District Improvement Team, says these system integrative classes affect studentâs timeliness, attendance and overall interest in school. Plans for future Talent Tours are in the works, reaching out to other fields such as health careers. (DK/JK)
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