By B.C. Manion
A deeper partnership between the county’s public schools and employers could strengthen Pasco County’s work force, economic boosters say.
The goal is to give students a chance to broaden their learning experiences through internships, apprenticeships, mentoring and other opportunities at local businesses, said John Hagen, CEO and president of the Pasco Economic Development Council (PEDC). A steering committee, led by Hagen, is asking businesses to become more engaged in preparing the local work force.
Peter Buczynsky, president of Pharmaworks, a company based in Odessa, said more hands-on training is needed to prepare today’s work force. One of the biggest challenges his company faces is finding employees who have practical skills in addition to theoretical knowledge.
“They’ve never had to put the chain on their bicycle or fix a flat tire or figure out a lawn mower,” said Buczynsky, who oversees the company that was named Florida’s 2011 Manufacturer of the Year.
He also thinks middle school students need opportunities to see what’s happening in the work force. Such opportunities might spark a career interest, Buczynsky said, adding: “It starts off with exposure.”
The school district wants to expand internships and other learning opportunities, said Rob Aguis, who oversees the district’s 17 career academies. However, it needs more business partners to achieve that, he said.
The district’s academies focus on various fields.
There’s the Academy of Culinary Arts at Land O’ Lakes High, the Academy of Finance at Sunlake High and the Academy of Automotive Service Technology at Wesley Chapel High. Others include the Academy of Information Technology and the Academy of Medical Professions at Wiregrass High, the Academy of Health at Zephyrhills High and the Academy of Health and the Academy of Building Technologies at Pasco High.
Hillsborough County also offers a wide selection of career and technical programs at Steinbrenner, Freedom, Gaither and Wharton high schools.
Steinbrenner is a choice school for its culinary and its sports, recreation and entertainment marketing programs. Its offerings also include agritechnology, health and wellness, agricultural communication, digital design, veterinary assisting and teaching assisting.
Gaither’s selections include nursing assistant, digital design, veterinary assisting, drafting and illustration, accounting operations and agricultural science and service.
At Wharton, career and technical offerings include accounting operations, business supervision, digital design, early childhood education, teaching assisting and web design.
Freedom also offers web design, animal science and service, marketing, culinary and other career and technical options.
Giving students more real-world experiences can reap tremendous dividends, both for students and the local work force, Hagen said.
“It has the power to transform students and the relationship they have to their own education, and to their own lives,” Hagen said. “You get a skill set, but you are also going to get a different view of the world.”
Getting experience in work settings also gives students a competitive advantage in the job market, Hagen said.
“You don’t just know it,” he said. “You know how to do it.”
It also benefits employers.
“You get better employees because they have critical thinking skills, but then they can actually pound a nail or push a syringe, or whatever it is,” Hagen said.
Real-world experiences also help students make informed career choices, he said.
“College takes such resources these days. It seems to me it is kind of a tragedy when somebody goes through a program and graduates with a degree — or even for that matter, they come out of high school and then they go to work in the field that they’ve chosen — and they discover, ‘This isn’t what I thought it was. I don’t like it.’ ”
Employers who provide internships can observe potential employees and help them learn career skills.
“We realize that the knowledge content of jobs is going up,” Hagen said. Part of the problem with today’s labor market is the mismatch between what employees know how to do and the skills that employers need.
Hagen is pleased by the school district’s interest in helping to develop a stronger work force. He hopes companies will be equally enthusiastic about stepping up to the plate.
Any business that wants to know more can call Hagen at (888) 607-2726 or send him an email at .
