(Middlefield, OH) - At the Wednesday, September 11th Board of Education regular session meeting, the approval of HC Companies job shadowing and internships was approved by a 5-0 vote. Per the request of third year superintendent, Jack Cunningham asked for approval of an opportunity related to the district’s career based intervention program (CBI) for students at Cardinal Local Schools of at least the age of 14 years old.
HC Companies along with many other local businesses and factories located near or around the Middlefield and Burton areas are currently partnering with Cardinal Local Schools in hopes of establishing “Career Ready” employees once they’ve graduated from Cardinal High School. The school and the respected companies look to implement three goals in mind with this second-year program which include the following;
Creating productive and real time partnerships with local industries.
Providing students and businesses opportunities to build relationships each year.
Providing businesses a presence in our district not just through advertisement opportunities, but the opportunity to build relationships with future employees that are beneficial to all involved.
HC Companies is a local factory located in Middlefield. The company specializes in the manufacturing of plants, the planters, the pots, and more horticultural accessories. And now they are offering a two phase program that looks like this. Phase One includes a four week course that allows students to rotate in each department for one week at a time. This will be an unpaid position, but there intends to be time for observation and Q&A sessions. Phase One will begin in late October. Students will have the chance to work beside the Maintenance/Preventive Maintenance Team, the Tool Room, Continuous Improvement, Machine Operations/Setup, and Q&A Material.
In an earlier statement from Brian Cunningham, H.C. Companies site manager, “We need employees that can think; problem solve; collect data; and work together.”
Phase Two will begin in December with internships beginning in the New Year. Students who wish to participate in this phase must have completed the first one to be eligible. They will work a minimum of four hours a day in an agreement with their school schedule. After experimenting with all departments, the student will have their personal choice of which department they wish to begin with. This position will be paid time with focused project work.
Cardinal Schools local industries and factories that are partnered with the Cardinal Corporate Collaborative also benefit from this partnership. They have a seat on the Cardinal Corporate Collaborative Business Advisory Committee, have an invitation to two exclusive job fairs at Cardinal during the school year, are guaranteed one advertisement banner on the Cardinal Athletic Website, a partnership street banner with their business logo and a business banner in a location of your choice at the sports complex stadium or in the Jr./Sr. High School gymnasium.
“This is the first step towards our goal of providing real-time, career experience for the students that are either interested in employment or a career that begins right after graduation or the springboard to a post-secondary degree. Here at Cardinal Local Schools, we are thankful to HC Companies for taking a lot of time and meetings to set up this opportunity for us,” said the district’s superintendent, Jack Cunningham. “We look forward to growing this partnership as well as implementing the next one with our other Cardinal Corporate Collaborative partners in the near future.”
As of this year, there are six other companies that are active in the CCC partnership with Cardinal Schools which include the following: Bentronix Corp., HC Companies, Hexpol, Johnsonite by Tarkett, Mercury Plastics, and Molten Metal.
“Service is one of core values at HC Companies. Service to both our employees and the communities in which we reside. The Cardinal Corporate Cooperative perfectly exemplifies what that core value is all about,” said Brian Cunningham. “We are thrilled by the opportunity to take part in the technical and professional development of Cardinal Local School students, and to provide them with solid career opportunities as they enter the workforce. I can’t wait to meet the next generation of HC Companies leaders through this program.”