BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - From welding and diesel mechanics to agronomy and animal nutrition, Bismarck-Mandan students are discovering their career niches by spending time in various workplaces.
The exploration of agriculture careers began Monday as part of the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association’s second workshop called “How to Help Your Students Prepare for Their Future Careers,” The Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2qTj05I ) reported.
More than 20 Bismarck-Mandan high school and college level classroom teachers, counselors and career advisers will spent the week at a variety of workplaces learning about local career opportunities in eight industries.
Participants learned about various careers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Great Plains Research Lab, the Bismarck Police Department, the Bismarck Airport and Sanford Health.
They also went to Basin Electric Power Cooperative and HIT Inc. to learn about human service careers and Bobcat’s Acceleration Center to hear about manufacturing.
“We are very short of people right now,” said Larry Lunder of Pioneer Seed as he talked to educators about careers in agronomy. “There’s demand right now; we struggle to find people.”
Beth Schwab, who work at Legacy High School, said she appreciated the opportunity to see the options available to their students because a lot of her students hope to stay in Bismarck for work after they graduate.
Bismarck Public Schools career adviser Laura Henkelman, who attended the event last year, said there were times in the past year she would mention a career she had learned about at the event to a student. She said the event has also created a network with employers who are willing to attend career fairs or host interns and job shadows.
“Some of these are newer careers,” Henkelman said, adding that it’s helpful to have the most up-to-date information on what employers are seeking in employees.
Daniel Eslinger of RDO Equipment said his industry changes quickly as farming technology continue to be updated.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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