That message above was on full display at the Open House for Notre Dame High School’s (Career) Launch Centre at the Seaway Mall. I had the privilege of an invitation, along with Mayor Junkin, to see some of the many different paths to a rewarding career for our secondary school students.
One thing was clear, the students were already becoming masters of important networking skills. They are enthusiastically developing their access to networks and the people who can mentor the next steps in their careers.
The competition for a job is fierce, to say the least. I applaud the students and their parents in attendance. They appreciate the dignity of work, and they understand the job search challenge, especially for young adults. Practical experience is so highly valued in today’s job market.
As the saying goes, “You cannot learn to swim by reading about water.” In the same line of thought, I am quite sure I have read more books on golf than Tiger Woods. At my current rate of reading, I am sure to win a British Open before Tiger wins his next! Sadly, for me, practice is still the best teacher when it comes to a golf swing.
The academic evidence shows that knowledge and experience are two of the main predictors of good on-the-job performance. That is where the noble institution of apprenticeship comes in. For thousands of years, craftsmen have been transferring skills from one generation to another using apprenticeships.
One of the main factors in a successful career is using every conceivable opportunity to show your skills. Books, seminars, lectures, and tests do not entitle one to claim skill. Skill is best proven when showing our skills and craft to others, especially a mentor. It is really all about showing an employer that you know how to get things done and doing it.
One cannot hold a leadership position in a technical company if you aren’t technical
I saw it every day when an urgent production problem arose that was beyond the skills and knowledge of everybody in the room. Somebody would say something like, "I think that Bill or Susan in shipping know a lot about programming robots. Let them look at the problem." Most of the time, the problem was solved in hours.
We thought of it as building the business one apprentice at a time.
The growth and success of any business depends on its workforce, and equipping the right people with the right skills can future-proof the organisation and generate results. We recognized the need to rebuild the depth of our team by taking advantage of the skills of the master craftsmen and their ability to teach newer workers.
Apprenticeship gives the freedom to learn from a mentor in a real-time experience. It is also about the freedom to create and make mistakes and ask questions. Even better, you get to know people whom you might not ordinarily have close contact with. Apprenticeship is a proven way to achieve a company’s inclusion and diversity strategies.
While you are learning a trade at a live business, an apprenticeship can teach you best practices school cannot teach. I call them "best habits." You can tell if you are going to make money that day by the best habits followed in the first hour.
Being an apprentice, with the right mentor, provides invaluable exposure to a sense of urgency. Apprenticeship offers a unique chance to see how leaders and experts make decisions in the boardroom and shows the apprentice some of the problems that they might have to address from the mentor’s chair.
Put very simply, one cannot hold a leadership position in a technical company if you aren’t technical.
While learning and mentoring give you the knowledge, doing gives you the experience and, hence, ability and skills. Apprenticeship programs are the best solution to filling worker shortages, reducing skill gaps, and helping to create a more productive, satisfied, and diverse workforce.
My thanks to the dedicated and dynamic students and to the supportive sponsors and exhibitors. I am grateful to the Principal and staff at Notre Dame for sharing this important event with the community. You are all on the right track!
