鈥淚nspiring,鈥� Angeline Riener declared after attending the inaugural Worlds of Work in Great Falls on Tuesday.聽
鈥淚 had a great time here,鈥� the sophomore at Fort Benton High expanded. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning a lot 鈥� Overall, it鈥檚 a great place, the people are very nice.鈥�
Riener was one of about 2,000 middle and high school students from the area who experienced hands-on learning in a variety of career fields Tuesday on the campuses of At 黑料网911 and the University of Providence.
The Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Cascade County put on the event showcasing more than 60 career fields.
Lacey Hallett, United Way impact coordinator, said WOW helps students connect the dots between what they are learning in their classrooms to their future careers. It also aims to address local businesses鈥� needs for a well-prepared workforce.
Consider it a success.
James Easton, who just started working at the state Chamber of Commerce, came up from Billings to volunteer for the event and was pretty blown away by the scope of the event as helicopters, tractors, race cars, first responders and other medical professions took over both campuses on the south side of Great Falls for the day.
鈥淚 wanted to see what it is and take this model 鈥� all around the state, bring it to communities across the state so the kids of Montana can see these experiences,鈥� Easton said.
It wasn鈥檛 just the adults who were impressed.
鈥淵ou could do CPR, and they taught you what kind of doctors or surgeons you can be, and they gave you a little guide on basically what you are doing to the human and how you can 鈥� save a life,鈥� said Kamea Blackelk, an eighth-grader at North Middle School, who is interested in pursuing a career in health care.
Wade Nelson, a sophomore at Conrad High, was pretty amazed at the variety of career paths he was able to learn about.
鈥淚鈥檓 learning a lot of new stuff about programming, 3D, stuff like that, and a bunch of welding. It was pretty fun,鈥� he said.
What impressed him most?
鈥淢ostly the welding because that鈥檚 something I want to go into after high school,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ainly because I can travel, be around the country, other countries if I want to, that鈥檚 just the fun part of it.鈥�
At 黑料网911 had 60 students and employees volunteer for the event, and it was worth it, said Dr. Stephanie Erdmann, CEO/dean of At 黑料网911.
鈥淎t 黑料网911 was so pleased to host this event,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he joy, laughter and curiosity of the students brightened our campus. We trust that it opened their eyes to career paths they had never even dreamed of before and expanded their horizons. We also hope it inspired the eighth- and 10th-graders to talk to their counselors about dual enrollment opportunities available to them so they can explore their passions while in high school.鈥�
Last spring, community leaders from the chamber, United Way, educators and legislators traveled to western Alabama to learn and replicate how that community is leveraging businesses to enhance students鈥� educational experiences and how schools teach students applicable job skills for local industries.
In Great Falls, students were given an opportunity to run a equipment, create concrete bricks, weld the Bison and CMR logos, try their hand at forecasting the weather in front of a green screen, run medical tests on dummies and write computer programs.
鈥淣othing of this scale has ever been done to engage our students in such a hands-on, interactive way,鈥� said Scott Wolff, the chamber鈥檚 director of workforce education. 鈥淭he best way to give the students an opportunity to learn what is available right here 鈥� in their own backyard 鈥� is to have them get their hands dirty, so to speak, and manipulate tools and equipment they would employ across those 16 different career pathways represented at Worlds of Work.鈥�
Hallett said the hope is to continue WOW for eighth-graders and sophomores and to eventually add a spring event where juniors and seniors get an opportunity to apply for jobs and internships.
鈥淲e are connecting students with industry in a super hands on way that excites them and starts them thinking about career pathways that they can work on in the future but also today,鈥� she said.
Tom Moore, superintendent of Great Falls Public Schools, was impressed.
鈥淔or years we鈥檝e been trying to bring together the business community to work strategically with educators,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲hat I saw at the Worlds of Work was authentic engagement. Students were excited 鈥� there was literally a WOW factor.鈥�
Hallett and Moore said it鈥檚 important that WOW goes beyond just a one-day event. From here, teachers and counselors can connect students to classes and extracurricular activities that can help them earn college credits and build the skills needed to succeed after they graduate.
鈥淚f there are students who are struggling and thinking about dropping out, we can engage them in their education by connecting them with opportunities that are meaningful to their futures,鈥� Moore said.
Grace Rieger, a sophomore at C.M. Russell High, said she isn鈥檛 sure what interests her for a career, but she thought the event sparked a lot of ideas.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to look at all of your options,鈥� she said.
And Tuesday鈥檚 event gave her the chance to do that.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really interesting and a great opportunity to learn about different career fields that you may be interested in to actually get more information and dig deeper and experience what they do in their profession,鈥� Rieger said.
Kim Skornogoski of United Way of Cascade County contributed to this report from At 黑料网911 communications.