From the Desk of Mr. Jeff Kuhns

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit a Perry County business that does custom metalwork. If you read my post last month about discovering cool jobs, this falls into that category. This local business manufactures such things as parts for Patriot missiles, components for stage shows for The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, and elements for high-end fishing reels and firearms.

One of the questions that I asked the owner, as well as a couple of his employees, was, ‘What kind of skills are you looking for in the employees you hire?’ Employees ranged from people with degrees in engineering to people with a high school education, whether or not they attended career and technical school while in high school.

Everyone started out with the same response, ‘We want people who aren’t afraid to work.’ To me, that was what all employers wanted, so I continued to push. Without getting into too much detail, their responses included the following:

1. Work Ethic – That’s the general meaning of someone who wants to work. Work ethic is valuing that hard work is important and rewarding. It includes qualities like being responsible, showing up on time, doing your best, being honest, and finishing what you start.

2. Adaptability – This business must be ever evolving as advancements are always taking place. It is important that employees can adjust to new situations, tasks, or environments with a positive attitude. Adaptability is about staying flexible when things change, learning new things quickly, and finding ways to keep going even when things don’t go as planned.

3. Creativity – Many times this business will get a call to manufacture a specific piece for a specific job. A piece that the buyer believes is capable of being made. Creativity is necessary to be able to think about problems in different ways to come up with a workable solution. It’s not just about art—it’s about thinking outside the box in any situation, whether you're designing something, finding a better way to do a task, or coming up with new solutions at work.

4. Initiative – The employees and the owner talked a lot about ‘button pushers.’ A button pusher would be someone who could do the job but really isn’t a fit for this kind of dynamic industry. Initiative means acting without being told. It’s the willingness to step up, start tasks on your own, solve problems, and look for ways to help or improve things. People with initiative don’t wait around. They take charge and show leadership.

These are all skills that in schools we lump into the category of employability skills. All of these would be on my list of skills that all students should have when exiting West Perry. I would add to this list things like good communication skills, the ability to work in collaborative teams, and the capacity to think critically.

5. Communication - Collaboration means being able to share your thoughts clearly, listen to others, ask questions, and understand information. Communication includes speaking, listening, and writing. Good communication helps people work well together, solve problems, and avoid misunderstandings.

6. Collaboration - Collaboration means being a good team member—working together, taking turns, and helping everyone do their best. In the workplace, collaboration is essential for completing projects, building strong teams, and creating a positive environment.

7. Critical Thinking - Critical thinking means using reasoning and logic to ask good questions, make smart choices, and solve complex problems. In the workplace, critical thinking helps people come up with better solutions, avoid mistakes, and make thoughtful decisions.

This is not an exhaustive list of employability skills but a fair overview. The education establishment has been saying for at least the last 25 years that schools need to prepare students for careers that don’t even exist yet. The world changes so fast that specific training that happens in secondary schools is often outdated before a student finishes a post-secondary program. For that reason, one of the most important things that West Perry can do for our students is to make sure that they are prepared to enter the job market of the future. Employability skills are that avenue. We believe that these skills are best taught beginning in kindergarten. Sharing, taking turns, saying ‘please and thank you,’ solving puzzles and mazes, and classroom jobs are all examples of how these skills fit into the everyday lives of even our youngest learners.