Embedded Files
Thank you to all of our facility hosts and guest speakers!!
Trimester 3 Updates
3/4/24 Attorney Sarah Estep spoke to our senior mentors about legal do's and don'ts when working with youngsters
3/11/24 Today we had a speed-networking excercise at the community ed building, this helped form some contacts and landed some internships for spring.
3/19/24 We met at the YMCA today. Jeannette Holingsworth gave us a tour and shared some of the history and vision for the Y. The spring trimester students got a chance to share what the first day on the new job was like. It will be exciting to hear the reports throughout the spring.
3/20/24 Three students from the ALC attended the YST Construction trades tour. We toured Esser Plumbing in Perham and Precision Landscape and Hilltop Lumber in Ottertail City . It was a great tour and everyone had fun!
3/26/24 Today the afternoon crew met at Greater Fergus Falls. Patricia Wahl discussed what entreprenuers do and about nonprofit organizations in our community. We also toured OtterCove and the Kaddatz gallery. We also had our weekly sharing of the work week, snow days and discussed cell phone etiquette.
4/2/24 Today we met at City Hall. HR director Mike Hartwell shared what employer responsibilities are and gave us a tour of City Hall.
4/10/24 Yesterday we met at the Rural MN careerforce center on the M-State campus. Brenda Mathiesen from R-cep discussed the Careerforce services, shared the elements of a quality resume and offered up her assistance proofreading our student resumes.
4/16/24 Yesterday we met at the USDA NRCS office. We had guest speakers speak about conservation related careers within the federal, state and local government. We also discussed interpersonal communication at the workplace and why good communication is so important.
4/23/24 Today we met at Lakes Country service Cooperative. Amy Johnson from Cardinal Consulting came in to speak to our students about Interviewing tips and tricks. SSG Glymph from the US Army came in to speak to our afternoon students about interviews and workplace habits as well.
4/24/24 I attended the Ottertail County Workforce Summit. There were a lot of great points made about the employment situation in OtterTail county, we need to make our communities welcoming to attract and retain good people! We had a couple of students represent our local schools Work based learning and the YST program. Great kids doing great things! The program works and we are making a difference.
4/30/24 We met at the Ottertail County building. We had representatives from human services and community awareness speak to our students about what they do at the county and the wide variety of opportunities with the county.
5/2/24
I was lucky enough to chaperone for the Fargo Demo day with several of our students who got to drive a variety of heavy equipment including; cranes, excavators, loaders, skidsteers, and compactors
5/7/24 We met a PioneerCare and learned about career opportunities and scholarship opportunities available there.
5/8/24 Ottertail Power hosted their Lineworker Day, we brought four students to check out the training being done for existing line workers and do some hands-on activities. The weather was perfect and I think the event really helped inspire some potential future lineworkers.
5/9/24 I attended the chamber cafe and heard about new jobs and opportunities in Fergus Falls, I also attended a Tri-State manufacturing fundraiser in Brandon MN where I met with some of the Dream Team and we had a chance to talk about finding good workers and filling in the gaps for manufacturing
5/13/24 we had our Mentor Appreciation day at the Bigwood Event center where our students got to share about their spring internships. Thanks to everyone who attended and supported our program this year!
5/14/24 I had the opportunity to assist with the Young Eagles flight day, over 170 students got a chance to go up in a plane!
NRCS speakers
Workforce Summit
Trimester 2 Updates
2/27/24 We met at the Bigwood Event Center for the mentor appreciation event where winter trimester students shared the website/digital portfolio they built and a had the opportunity to thank their mentors for hosting them in the internship.
2/20/24 We met at Pioneer Care today. We learned about employment opportunities at Pioneer Care as well as having some guest speakers from the county speak about opportunities to be had with a CDL working for Ottertail County.
2/13/24 Today we met at Lakes Country Service Cooperative, besides sharing our work weeks we the students working on an article for the Daily Journal.
2/6/24 Today we met in the OCR and shared our work weeks. We also focused on interpersonal communication at the workplace and worked on updating SMART goals for the year and updating student websites.
1/30/24 This past Tuesday we mat at the Rosevelt Community Education Building. HR professional,Amy Johnson from Cardinal Consulting presented on ways to stay out of the HR office for workplace negligence.
1/23/24 We met at the local YMCA. Jeanette Hollingsworth gave us a tour and spoke about; the history of the Y, jobs they have available and what they do for our community. We continued to focus on active listening and updating our websites. We also conducted mock interviews.
1/16/24 We met in the OCR and focused on active listening while sharing how our work weeks went. We also watched the "skills that pay the bills" a video series on employablity skills
1/9/24 Yesterday we met the Rural CEP CareerForce Center located at the M-State campus in Fergus Falls. Brenda Mathiasen from RCEP spoke about resume and cover letter tips and tricks and shared about the services available at the CareerForce center. Brenda also helped proof read our student's resumes and cover letters and offered some pointers on making them easier to read and more effective.
Lisa Workman from the Chamber of Commerce also joined us yesterday and spoke about the importance of professionalism in the workplace. This included dress, hygene, behavior and social media use.
1/2/24 We met at the Greater Fergus Falls Foundry, Patricia Wahl spoke about what the foundry does and how it helps out area entrepreneurs. We also discussed non-profit organizations in the area and toured OtterCove and the Kadatz galleries.
12/19/23
Today the morning class met at city hall where HR Director Mike Hartwell from the city and HR director Josh Campion from Pemerton Law shared employer responsibilities and labor laws. The afternoon class met at the Fergus Airport and shared how the first day on the job went.
12/12/23
We have started a new trimester for the wintertime!
On Tuesday December 13 we had Amy Hallberg from the Career Force come in and speak about services the career force center offers.
We also had a speed networking event to introduce willing employers to students looking for internships, the event went well and some connections were made to fill open internships. Thanks to Lisa Workman from the Chamber for organizing the event and thanks to the businesses and students who participated in the event.
Tuesday September 26th we met at the Bigwood Event Center. Students shared their experiences from the first week at work and we had Leon Johnson from the Farm Services Agency share career opportunities with the FSA and talk about; data privacy, the importance of networking and honest communication.
Tuesday October 3rd We met at Vector Windows and toured the door making process. Brittany Wing shared what marketing is all about and we discussed building a portfolio, the importance of keeping timesheets, and the trial and tribulations of running your own business.
Tuesday October 10th We met at the Greater Fergus Falls Foundry, Patricia Wahl shared what GFF does and how the Foundry benefits the community and helps local entrepreneurs as well as; the importance of knowing your worth, franchises, using phones appropriately. Lisa Workman from the Chamber of Commerce also shared what the Chamber does and discussed the importance networking, proper cell phone etiquette, and reaching out to find the right jobs. The students walked next door and had a tour of Otter cove hosted by Mikala Munday and then over to the Kaddatz Gallery to learn about non profits and getting local art recognized in the community. thanks to all of our businesses and speakers.
On Wednesday October 11th Otter Tail Power Hosted a Lineworker Shadow day. The students got to experience wrapping armor, unplugging elbows, tying up insulators and climbing poles. It was a great day to learn about lineworkers and the work they do for OTP.
10/12/23 Nick Halatasis and Troy Siekas from the FAA came in to speak to our students about aviation careers for pilots and aircraft mechanics.
On Tuesday October 17th the Work Based Learning class met at City Hall. Mike Hartwell, HR director for the city hall gave us a great tour, talked about employement with the city and shared with us the many aspects of labor laws including; ADA, FML, EOC, OSHA, Unemployment benefits, and discrimination bias. He also spoke about "sharing your sunshine" and getting as many credentials as possible.
On Wednesday the 18th I took a group of automotive students for an OTC works automotive tour. We stopped at the Fergus County Garage, the Ottertail County Sherrif's department garage and the new AutoFix facility in Ottertail City.
On Tuesday October 24th we had Rose Dornbush HR director from Shoremaster and Amy Johnson from Cardinal Consulting Solutions come in and speak to our students about careers with Shoremaster and "how to stay out of the HR office" for negative consequences at work. Topics included; Meeting Employer Expectations, Professionalism, Leaving drama at the door, Hygiene/Dress, Work Ethic, PTO and performance reviews.
10/31/23 Today we had Matt Bedore, manager and recruiter form CHS come in and speak about careers avaiable at CHS and resume writing and interview tips and techniques. He discussed the importance of asking questions in an interview and the importance of a timely follow up thank you letter with a personal connection. This week the students are working on creating a cover letter, getting 3 professional references and seeking jobs and applying for them online.
Nancy Reard came in and spoke with our senior mentors today about understanding behavior with children. She shared a lot sorts of great information but most importantly was the power of positive reinforcement and how it can be used in the classroom.
Tuesday November 14th- Today's guest speaker was Darren Krein from Farmer's State Bank. Darren spoke about credit scores, interest rates, employment benefits and loans for young people who are heading out into the world. He also talked about goal setting and ethics in the workplace.
Tuesday November 21st- today's guest speaker was Angie Lien from Ottertail County. Angie spoke with us and social services and what they do for the county and the different carreers associated with Social Services.
Tuesday November 28th is our last day meeting as a class and it's our mentor appreciation day at the Bigwood Event Center
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