Hanover Career Student Resource, Inc. (HCSR) is a nonprofit group organized for the purpose of promoting career opportunities among high school students and graduates in Hanover County.  We are seeking funding for the development, printing and distribution of a directory of businesses and opportunities to allow students to explore all viable career paths. The purpose of this project is to provide work experience that will make the college path more meaningful for some students and offer alternatives to the traditional four-year academic program for others, while providing area businesses with a much-needed skilled work force.

Real World Experience

Many young people graduate from college not knowing what career path they want to pursue because they are lacking real world experience.  They then find themselves in fields they could have accessed through internships, on-the-job training and/or technical education programs.  Following four years of college courses, they must start again and take the classes and training necessary to prepare for a particular job.  Many would have benefited from programs offered in the community during and after high school had they known about available resources.

Jobs in skilled areas may provide an alternative to college, but in many cases they can be an avenue to higher education.  With the costs of college increasing exponentially and the profile of the available jobs constantly changing, a traditional four-year academic program may not always be available or required for viable employment.  Young people may need more time to mature before spending a lot of time and money attending college without having any future plans.  By gaining actual work experience in a technical or technological job, students may determine a different direction for themselves that may or may not require a two- or four-year college degree.  Instead, they may need certification or technical training.

Business owners in Hanover County have cited difficulties finding qualified workers for the increasing number of skilled, technical and technological jobs.  The number of youth preparing for that type of job is not increasing; bright students are steered toward a college degree and traditional white-collar jobs.  The stereotype of the worker has not changed as drastically or as quickly as the true profile of that worker. 

Most employment in Hanover County is with small businesses, and recent economic studies indicate that these jobs are the most stable because the owners are directly involved.  Decision-making is usually shared and all of the workers take responsibility for the soundness of the company.  Workers have a broader experience by working for small businesses because they become skilled in many areas.  This means they will be better prepared to transition to other positions, companies or fields if they choose to go in another direction at a later time. To this end, there are opportunities for networking within the county and young workers are exposed to many jobs that require specialized skills but are not well-known. 

HCSR represents these small businesses but also includes large businesses, education professionals, and local government officials.  All recognize the need to become involved in the education of a skilled workforce which is not a new concept but one that has not been acted on in such a unique partnership.

A Partnership    

The initiative was first developed by The Hanover Industrial Air Park Business Association, Inc. (HIAPBA) that represents 125 small businesses located in the Hanover Industrial Air Park in the central corridor of Hanover County.  Member businesses range from 2 to 100 employees and they range from professional offices of lawyers and accountants to auto repair shops and construction companies.  They determined a need to attract young people to explore the careers now available in a changing workplace.  By setting up a nonprofit group, Hanover Career Student Resource, Inc., the businesses extended the project to the whole county and developed partnerships with the county school division, local government, and large corporations located in the county in order to respond to this need.  HCSR Board is making plans to compile a directory of opportunities to make students and their parents aware of the different businesses in the county and what each one is willing to offer to students as incentives to go into that line of work.  These incentives may include programs such as having a student shadow an employee to learn about the operation of the business; mentoring students; or providing internships, apprenticeships, and scholarships to study and train in that field.  HCSR will provide a resource guide for students to explore all career opportunities while preparing for their future place in the workforce.

An example of a company needing highly skilled workers is a machine shop in the Air Park that develops and sharpens specialty tools and custom-designed instruments.  This is one of the only businesses of this kind on the East Coast and they have not been able to hire enough people to keep up with the demand for their services.  They will provide training and a person can advance quickly from an entry-level position.

HCSR members have first-hand knowledge of the changing workplace and the need to fill more technical jobs with bright young people.  They have not, however, seen a change in the move to technical jobs by the majority of high school students in Hanover County. The drop-out rate in the county is one of the lowest in the Commonwealth of Virginia at .27% and there is a high rate of college-bound students, 78%.  We want to continue a high rate of college educated people but we want to provide students with opportunities for different career paths and often, opportunities for scholarships for college programs.

Description of the Project

HCSR will gather information from each business including a description of the business, the number of full-time and part-time employees, requirements for jobs in that field, opportunities and incentives available for students and high school graduates, and contact information.  The directories will be printed and distributed to all juniors and seniors in the three high schools.  Using last year’s figures, there will be 1,239 juniors and 1,214 seniors (for a total of 2,295 students) starting the 2002-2003 school year in the three high schools in Hanover County.  A total of 4,000 books will be printed, and additional copies of the handbook directory will be made available to teachers and also to parents through PTA meetings and school programs as well as through the Career Resource Centers in each high school guidance office.  Later plans include making the directory available in printed and other formats and developing a website that will provide links to the individual businesses.  A Speakers’ Bureau will be established to provide speakers for classroom programs to make students and teachers aware of workplace requirements and opportunities of different careers.  Additionally, information will be provided for parents through PTA meetings and newsletters, special programs and newspaper articles. Having parents and guidance counselors informed about the available opportunities will be important because they guide students into decisions for future plans.

Project costs    

Hanover Career Student Resources is seeking a total of $25,000 as start-up funding for this project. The cost of printing 4,000 directories will be approximately $6,000 and hiring someone to do the initial work of collecting and inputting the information and making the pages ready for printing will be approximately $17,500.  Each business entered in the directory will pay a fee for the opportunity to advertise its student programs and employment opportunities that will be assessed according to the amount of space utilized.  It is anticipated that approximately 300 businesses will be included the first year.   In subsequent years, these fees will sustain the project, paying for updating the information each year and covering printing costs.

This directory of opportunities will help students and their parents become aware of alternative opportunities and preparation programs.  It will be valuable for students who take advantage of training, scholarships, internships and other incentives and it will be valuable for business owners to attract qualified people for their work force.  Hanover Career Student Resource, Inc. recognizes that this is not a problem that is unique to Hanover County and is willing to make this model available to other locations to help them develop similar partnerships.  Through this initiative, we believe we will build a stronger work force with the skills to continue businesses into the future.