St. Louis business leaders reach out to middle schoolers to combat workforce shortages
The school buses lined up on the Saint Louis University campus along North Grand Boulevard and about 1,400 students walked into the Busch Student Center last December for a career exploration day.
What made this scene stand out was the age of the students – middle schoolers from Parkway School District.
Workforce development officials in the St. Louis area say it’s imperative to reach students before they enter high school about careers they can pursue. Like other regions across the country, St. Louis faces dual challenges — a continued shortage of workers in an aging population and the need to retain and grow population.
Workforce development officials in the St. Louis area say it’s imperative to reach students before they enter high school about careers they can pursue. Like other regions across the country, St. Louis faces dual challenges — a continued shortage of workers in an aging population and the need to retain and grow population.
“Right now in their minds, these young people have an idea about what they want to do when they grow up,” said Alandon Pitts, workforce development coordinator for the Regional Business Council (RBC). “Being exposed to various industries helps them decide what they like.”
The event at SLU was a collaboration between Parkway School District and RBC, a member-led group consisting of 100 CEOs and other leaders in the St. Louis area. About 50 companies had exhibits in the Busch Student Center’s large ballroom. They included BJC HealthCare, Commerce Bank, Deloitte and The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA).
As students talked with company representatives, Gina Covington-James, Parkway School District’s career and technical education curriculum lead, discussed how the career exploration program with RBC has multiple dimensions…