3-Networking Opportunities

The following pages represent a summary of our schools responses for the 2022-23 addedum, submitted as a part of our 2023-24 plan.  To see our full response, please view our 2023-24 plan.  

3. How has the business advisory council supported mentorship programs and/or provided networking opportunities for students and professionals? 

a. What career activities have been influenced by the business advisory council? (Include districts involved and data on students involved in each activity.)

The Business Advisory Council (BAC) has been pivotal in enhancing career-related activities across various schools. A recurring theme is the emphasis on career fairs and exploration events, as highlighted by Amherst, Firelands, Keystone, and Midview, where students get the opportunity to interact with professionals and gain insights into diverse career paths. Avon Lake and Lorain City underscore the BAC's role in facilitating shadowing opportunities and connecting students to openings and references at member companies. Clearview and Sheffield emphasize hands-on experiences, allowing students to work with tools and equipment, ensuring they grasp safety protocols. Elyria and Oberlin mention specific visits to institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, where students learn about potential career avenues in healthcare. Lorain County JVS points to a comprehensive approach, with business councils advising their CTE programs, hosting career fairs, and initiating pre-apprenticeship programs. In essence, the BAC's collaborative efforts have enriched students' career exploration experiences, providing them with a broader perspective on potential professions and the skills required for success.

b. What professional development opportunities are available through the business advisory council for teachers? (Include teacher bootcamps, externships and tours.)

The Lorain County Business Advisory Council provided several activities for teachers this year.  They are as follows:

Educator Externships - Throughout the past year, our educator externships, often referred to as teacher boot camps, have been a standout highlight for us. We made a deliberate choice to market these events as 'educator externships' rather than 'teacher boot camps' to ensure inclusivity. While teachers formed the majority of our participants, we welcomed principals, administrators, and school counselors into our sessions. This diverse mix of educators enriched our discussions by bringing different perspectives and insights to the table.

The learning objectives for our offered programs, which include 1-day, 2-day, and 5-day educator externships, encompass several key areas: 

Learning Objectives:

1. Determine the knowledge, skills, and characteristics students need to excel in the future workplace.

2. Understand the current and anticipated job market dynamics, including identifying declining and growing job sectors.

3. Recognize the educational and training requirements for various professions.

4. Identify innovative career paths for students based on their aptitudes and interests.

For a detailed schedule of our five-day externship, please visit our LorainCountyBAC.org website. In the 2022-23 school year, we hosted a two-day educator externship on November 29th and 30th, 2022, and a five-day program on June 12-15 & 26th, 2023. It is noteworthy that we offered three separate one-day educator externships during the 2021-22 school year as well.  Our five-day program featured visits to high-demand sectors, with each day focusing on a specific theme:

Schedule (June 12 - 16th)

• Monday: Overview of Course, The WHY, and the Lorain County JVS Oh My!

• Tuesday: Lotsa Tech Tuesday Tours

• Wednesday: No Toes for Tours in Manufacturing Wednesday

• Thursday: For the Love of Your Health Thursday & LCCC Campus Tour

• Friday: Take the Day off Friday (Procrastinate till Next Week) or Getter Done Presentation Prep

ABOUT THE EXTERNSHIP

At the onset of our training, our educator externships commenced with the screening of Lt. Governor Jon Husted's Teacher Bootcamp video. Following that, we delved into the 'WHY' behind our training and the crucial role schools play in preparing students for a rapidly evolving workplace. Our presentation provided an overview of the Lorain County BAC and our mission, helping educators grasp our primary directives.  We also spent time discussing the rising cost of college, and how college debt can limit a college graduate from obtaining the American Dream.  At our visit to LCCC, we discussed how community colleges and innovative career paths can help students obtain credentials and college degrees with less debt.  We also watched a segment of the video “Borrowed Future”, which discussed more in detail the challenges for students with college debt.  Finally, we discussed how automation and artificial intelligence will impact our world and the workplace for graduating students. We finished day one by touring the Lorain County JVS, learning about their innovative programs for students.

Day two, three, and four involved visits to various businesses. Our schedule allowed educators two visit two businesses each day.  During the visit, our participants engaged in reflective exercises using a provided reflection sheet, encouraging them to ask pertinent questions and contemplate specific concepts as they interacted with the business environment. At the end of day four, educators took the next week (Friday-Thursday) to reflect and create presentations for share out.  The following Friday, our group met at the Lorain County Community College to celebrate and share out.  We began by recognizing our businesses who gave of their time to host our educators.  Next, our large group of 22 educators broke into smaller groups of 5-6 per room.  Each participant gave a 20-30 minute presentation. Educators shared their findings and outlined how they intended to implement their newfound insights into their instruction or roles within their respective schools.  You can see a sampling of the presentations at our website.

Future Ready Teacher Sessions - One of our key goals for the 2022-23 school year was to create an impactful professional development (PD) session that schools could leverage on their dedicated PD days. The objective behind this session was to empower educators with insights into how the quality practices offered by the Lorain County Business Advisory Council (BAC) could better prepare students for a successful transition from school to college and careers.

The learning objectives we established were as follows:

• Understand what factors will rapidly change the workplace for students as they enter the workplace.

• Understand the current and anticipated job market. Be able to identify job sectors in decline and those that will likely be in growth.

• Understand the current marketplace and Ohio graduates' success in navigating the transition from HS graduation to careers. 

• Determine what knowledge, skills, and characteristics students will need to be able to compete in a future workplace.

• Identify innovative career paths for students based on their aptitudes and interests. 

• Understand the additional opportunities that exist for students and teachers as they navigate a future workplace

Our journey began with the creation of an agenda, accessible at tinyurl.com/LorainFutureReadyStudents, which we used during our presentations to teachers on November 7th, 2022. We conducted this session four times throughout the day, offering it to four school districts in attendance during our county-wide shared professional development day. To ensure an engaging and hands-on experience, we designed reflective activities for teachers at their respective tables. The concepts and activities we encouraged teachers to contemplate can be found on our website at sites.google.com/nort2h.org/futurereadystudents.

We found our teachers were responsive to the workshop agenda and we received positive feedback from the event.  With the creation of these resources, we are now able to provide additional workshops to schools upon their request.