Employers, schools work to prep students for local workforce

Companies and organizations in Hancock County need good employees, and Greenfield-Central Schools want students to remain close to home when they enter the workforce.

One way parties on both sides of that equation are working to do just that is through a program facilitating partnerships that promote soft skill development and build a pipeline of graduates who have skills employers need.

The Indiana Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate Program provides the basic structure for schools to implement such an initiative while leaving room for them to determine how they want to fill it out in their own communities.

Greenfield-Central High School is in its eighth year of offering the program and currently has 82 seniors interested in pursuing a certificate. Assistant High School Principal Nathan Bruck presented on the program and Greenfield Central School Foundation Executive Director Ginny Brown facilitated a roundtable discussion at HEDC’s latest Human Resources Group Lunch & Learn.

Greenfield-Central has had 185 students earn a Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate in the past seven years. The school worked with local businesses willing to support the program by offering incentives to students meeting program criteria like a guaranteed interview, on-the-job training, or a starting pay bump.

The program calls for teachers to sign off on students’ ability to carry out various soft skills. Students also have to meet other criteria like a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and an attendance of 98% or higher their senior year.

But opportunities abound for tailoring a program more closely to the needs of local companies, which prompted the roundtable discussion on the recruiting challenges HR representatives face at their companies and organizations, like candidates’ lack of soft skills and business ethics, competing with larger counterparts, transportation, and the false stereotype that all manufacturing jobs are dirty. Attendees also shared strategies for improving the workplace environment as a way to retain employees, and offered suggestions for communicating more effectively with younger job candidates.

Interested in participating in a Work Ethic Program with Greenfield-Central Schools? Reach out to Greenfield Central School Foundation Executive Director Ginny Brown at vbrown@gcsc.k12.in.us and/or Greenfield-Central High School Assistant Principal Nathan Bruck at nbruck@gcsc.k12.in.us.

The HEDC hosts an HR Group Lunch & Learn every quarter. The events offer presentations on human resources-related topics and draws attendees from local businesses, schools, and nonprofit organizations. Sign up here to stay in the loop on future events.