Guest Column by Jean Eaton

Jean Eaton is the project director and co-owner of Granicrete MN.

The Albert Lea Greater Education Project is an out-growth of the Education Foundation of Albert Lea’s 2015 public forum.  An idea was sparked by two very successful former Albert Lea graduates who wanted to give back to their hometown and what it did for them. Established by Lyman K. “Manny” Steil and supported financially by John and Susan Morrision, the project is focused on giving practical education and learning experiences to our high school students through shadowing, mentoring and creating endowed scholarships.

Experiential learning is becoming a national focus and one that is getting a lot of attention in southern Minnesota. Many schools and communities are focused on giving students shadowing and mentoring opportunities, and in some cases, schools and business feel so strongly that they are required classes.

Spending time answering questions and touring with a business and industry professional may help students make the right decision on their career choice. Even after job shadowing, if a student decides that career isn’t for them, it is a successful experience!  Many students don’t understand that you don’t always start at the top. They need to hear about various pathways that people took to achieve their position.  These days, it is too costly to make mistakes with the wrong school, wrong major or even if post secondary education is the right choice!

By connecting with a job shadowing professional, our hope is that the student will also choose to have a mentor — someone who has the knowledge in the industry of their choice to help them succeed. This person would spend time with the student, whether it is in person meeting monthly, a phone call to see how they are doing or even a text message.  This relationship may even be so strong that the student may come back to Albert Lea to work someday!

We want students to consider career trends and learn about new jobs that are being created for the future. Also, many industries are forecasting huge workforce shortages due to the aging baby boomer population. The average age of an electrician or construction worker is 57.   Many of these good careers may only need a certification, not a four-year degree or more.

The project has an advisory board made up of chairpersons Ken Petersen,  Lilah Aas of the Education Foundation,  Ryan Nolander,  Shannon Berns of the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, Randy Kehr of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, Gary Schindler and Steve Bowron of Riverland Community College, Val Kvale of Workforce Development, Kathy Neibuhr, Mark Grosslaus of Albert Lea High School, and Jerry Gabrielatos with the city of Albert Lea.

We had overwhelming success with recruiting 64 businesses that see the value of our project and are willing to give students shadowing and mentoring time. A total of 125 different jobs are available for students to shadow.  A pilot project was kicked off in late May with the help of my intern, 2016 graduate Haley Simon. We continue to work with students this summer and will work with the high school economics class and seniors this next year. Riverland Community College and the high school are discussing offering a PSEO credit class involving shadowing and mentoring.

If you know of a student or business that may want to be involved in our project, or have questions, please contact Jean Eaton at 507-373-9084.