Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Steinkoenig talks with Columbus East C4 students about the role of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office during a student tour of the jail and sheriff’s office in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021.
Local high school students recently got a glimpse of their future — or, at least, their possible future careers.
According to C4 Business Liaison Autumne Streeval, about 400 ninth graders in C4’s “Preparing for College and Careers” class at North and East toured various companies and government facilities on Nov. 16 through 18.
The visits included Lindal North America, the Columbus Police Department, the Columbus City Garage, Columbus Municipal Airport, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Faurecia, MasterPower Transmission, Rightway Fastener and Toyota Material Handling. Students are also scheduled to participate in a virtual tour with Columbus Regional Health this coming Monday and Tuesday.
During the different visits, students learned about services or products provided by the business, career pathways, possible benefits such as tuition reimbursement, and which classes students might take to develop certain career skills.
The purpose of these visits is for students to “learn about career awareness and possible pathways they might be interested in,” said Streeval.
“In the PCC class, students are just beginning to think about career pathways and what classes they could take in high school related to that career,” she said. “We want students to explore a lot of options and understand the opportunities that we have in our region. Many times, students have a narrow view of careers because they only see the jobs their family members or friends have. The industry tours aim to broaden their perspective of potential careers.”
She added that, from the business side, the tours allow companies to connect with potential future employees.
