Byesville Rotary learns about career development at Mid East

Pictured: Back row: Barry Ross, Enrollment Coordinator from Mid East Buffalo Campus, and Becky Bruner, Speaker Host.

Barry Ross, Enrollment Coordinator from Mid East Buffalo Campus, explained that career development is an important aspect of education at Mid East. He wants his students to consider setting a career goal early in their education. Early choice helps graduates prepare to meet the requirements today’s employers look for in new employees.

Ross begins with simple questions instead of a lecture. The questions—as well as the candy rewards he offers to students who offer answers—get students thinking about the kind of future they want and what kind of life style they want to live. His questions prompt students to think about the life style a fast food restaurant salary provides compared to the life style any of the career paths offered at Mid East can provide. His questions encourage students to consider careers in areas such as Criminal Justice, Computer Support Technology, or Industrial and Engineering Systems in construction, manufacturing or transportation.

Ross challenged the Byesville Rotarians to answer some of his questions such as, “What is an average electric bill for a one bedroom efficiency apartment?” or” How much does it cost to provide food for one person for a month?” Follow up questions include, “What are the 5 most common foods purchased on an entry level salary?” and “By how much will your food bill increase when you have a baby?”(Answers: the top 5 foods—1) Ramon noodles, 2) mac and cheese, 3) cereal, 4) frozen pizza, and 5) hot dogs; and—a baby triples the food budget.)

Once Ross’s students begin considering the cost of living, he works with them to project a budget that will meet their life style expectations. He stated that it is more important for students to make a plan than to just say “This is what I want to do.”

Most of the 2000 students at Mid East use the Career Center to explore career possibilities. Forty-four per cent of students graduating from Mid East continue their education after they graduate. Ross pointed out that Mid East has partnered with Zane State to offer the Pathway to Engineering program which provides post secondary education courses to students while they attend Mid East.

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chair Jim Vaughan, 740-260-2969. More information about the Byesville Rotary can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283

 

Representatives of BEST visit Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Back row: Mr. Moore, Coordinator of Special Needs; Mrs. Smith, Instructor; from Mid East Buffalo Campus; Becky Brunner, Speaker Host. Front row: Jeremy Kostelnik and Sabrina Hackley, Mid East Buffalo Campus students and members of BEST.

Mrs. Smith, Instructor, and Mr. Moore, Coordinator of Special Needs from Med-East Buffalo Campus, visited the Byesville Rotary meeting. They were accompanied by two student representatives of BEST—Jeremy Kostelnik and Sabrina Hackley.

Smith explained that BEST (Business Employability Skills Training) program prepares students for entry level employment and independent living. Mid East Buffalo Campus has offered for 20 years. Currently 13 students between 16 and 21 years old are enrolled in the program.

A key component to the program is Mid East’s partnership with local businesses to provide students with real world work-based learning experiences. Current local partners include South East Med, the YMCA, Goodwill, and the Guernsey County Senior Center. BEST students spend 1 day a week working at a job assignment at one of these sites.

Examples of the skills they learn on the job include the importance of being on time and showing initiative. Brown indicated that as a result of being held responsible for a job, the students’ behaviors change. They exhibit more maturity and begin showing more personal initiative. Sabrina explained that she has learned to focus on the details of a job so that her efforts are judged “good” by her supervisor.

Another element of the program is learning interviewing skills and how to fill out forms necessary to apply for a job. Students hone their skills by participating in mock interviews. Members of the local business community volunteer to be the interviewers. Jeremy who is a senior in his second year in the BEST program participated in the interviewing process last year. When asked for his tips on interviewing well, he said, “Be yourself.”

On campus, students take classes in subjects such as MSOffice, filing, and record keeping. They also learn life skills such as how to budget, shop for a car, and find a place to live.

Moore pointed out that students often begin the program with no job goals. The experiences they have on the job help them define specific job goals. The success rate of the BEST program is impressive. Most students graduating from the program enter the work force. Some continue their education by earning certification in specific areas such as Administrative Assistant. Others choose to earn an advanced degree in areas such as computer programming.

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chair Jim Vaughan, 740-260-2969. More information about the Byesville Rotary can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283

Members of SkillsUSA visit Byesville Rotary

Pictured: George Bell, SkillsUSA advisor; Courtney Griffith, President Mid East SkillsUSA; Alicia Harper, VP Mid East Skills USA; and Becky Brunner, Speaker Host.

Two students from Mid-East Technical and Career Center, Buffalo Campus, explained to the Byesville Rotary how the student organization, SkillsUSA, helps develop student skills and encourage all members to become active examples of the organization’s motto “Champions at Work.”
 

Courtney Griffith, president of the Mid East club and treasurer for the south east region, and Alicia Harper, vice president of the Mid East club, described SkillsUSA as a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. They explained that the skills they are able to develop through the Skills USA programs help each student excel.

   

The students, wearing distinctive red, SkillsUSA sports jackets, talked about a recent trip to Washington DC. Harper said, “The trip was life changing.” They met people such as the state Senator, made new friends, and learned from each other. Harper stated that she is able to apply skills learned through SkillsUSA in her current job. Some of those skills included time management, showing effort on the job, and arriving on time for work.

Griffith added that Skills USA also works to prepare students for leadership roles and prepares students to make a good first impression during an interview. She said that in their labs at Mid East, students are evaluated on the occupational skills they are learning, how they communicate, appearance, and how they interact with others.

More than 300,000 students and advisors join SkillsUSA annually. The organization is organized into more than 17,000 sections and 52 state and territorial associations. SkillsUSA's mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens.

 

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chair Jim Vaughan, 740-260-2969. More information about the Byesville Rotary can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283

 

Young business professionals speak to Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Alex Calvert, VP Business Professionals of America; Robey Bates, President Business Professionals of America; and Becky Brunner, Speaker Chair for October.

Two students from the Mid-East Career and Technical Center Buffalo Campus who are members of the Business Professionals of America (BPA) organization spoke to the Byesville Rotary at the Tuesday meeting.

Robey Bates, President of the Business Professional of American at Mid-East, and Alex Calvert, Vice President, explained that the aim of their organization is to develop leadership, academic, and technological skills for the workplace in students. They pointed out that BPA is the leading Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for students preparing for careers in business management, office administration, information technology, and related fields. The organization currently has 43,000 members in over 2300 chapters in 23 states.

Bates and Calvert are good representatives of BPA’s motto, “Today’s students. Tomorrow’s business professionals.” Bates intends to take classes in computer programming, and plans to attend Kent State. Calvert said that he, “…loves computers especially fixing and repairing them." He plans to attend Kent State or Hocking College and become a computer programmer. His long-term plan is to own his own computer repair shop. 

Bates pointed out that students in the computer program at Mid-East are already involved in the business of repairing computers. They will fix computers for a $5.00 fee. Turnaround time is typically 24 hours. The students can repair any Apple product. Repairs are limited to software only. 

When asked what computer problem was the most common, Bates immediately replied, “Viruses.” 

Members of BPA are preparing to take part in local competitions which will test their skills and knowledge in various areas of computer technology such as their knowledge of computer terms or ability to troubleshoot a computer problem. Mid East students hope to do well locally and qualify for state competition. 

Sharon Miller, Interact advisor, announced that the Meadowbrook Interact Club plans to hold a Halloween dance on October 25. The dance will also be the kick-off for the club’s Christmas food drive.