Local Businesses Help Seniors Get Taste of Working Life
La Grange Job Shadow Event Another Success
As another school year comes to a close and with graduation fast approaching, many seniors need to decide what to do career-wise, and what better way for them to find out than at the 2021 La Grange Job Shadow Event.
On Tuesday, April 20 La Grange High School held its second Job Shadow event. Eleven La Grange seniors and one Fayetteville senior participated in this year’s event to gain a better understanding of a job they are interested in by participating in hands-on activities, observing demonstrations of various skills needed for that business, and they also got a chance to practice their interviewing skills.
Nine local businesses too part: The Retreat at Fayette County Vet Clinic, Weikel’s Bakery, Fayette County Animal Shelter, Fayette County Justice Center, Best Western La Grange Inn & Suites, The Jersey Barnyard, Brittany Dawson Photography, Frogs & Flamingos Florist, and the City of La Grange. Each student spent around three hours with the business they selected.
Sergeant Angela Lala with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said, “I first helped with the Job Shadow event in 2019. Kathy Toensing, who put the event together, came to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and spoke with me about what she does for the area schools and that the Job Shadow event was an opportunity to learn and explore the benefits of employing adults with disabilities. I had two children for this year’s event, both of which were interested in the fields of criminal justice and/or forensics. They were particularly intrigued with the Communications Department. They also learned investigative and forensic techniques, how to dust for fingerprints, how to fingerprint someone for comparison, evidence collection, and storage, and even met with judges and observed some court proceedings.
“In the times that Law Enforcement is currently having, it is great to know that there still are persons interested in this field. We are fortunate enough to receive a lot of positive feedback from our local citizens. It is important that it is known that we employ several different jobs in our department, whether it is law enforcement, corrections, communications, or secretarial work, most of which require little or no schooling, or schooling is provided when you are hired on with the department.”
City Manager Shawn Raborn said, “The student worked with the Parks and Recreation Department Foreman Mike Urban and he did great. He helped with mowing grass and we had our Spring Cleanup Week so he was a big part of that as well.” Raborn added, “This really was a great way to show students that there are jobs available and to show businesses that they need to look at hiring more youth to come back in the community and be active at all skill levels. This also really opened my own eyes to get with the school about other opportunities in the future.”
“This was a really important event for the students because they are learning to explore their career interests through local businesses by self-advocacy and they are not just sitting and watching its hands-on learning,” said Toensing, transition specialist. “The main goal is for the students and the businesses to explore their options on both ends.”