With 62 percent of Franklin County residents’ educations concluding with high school graduation, it’s more important than ever to arm our young people with job-ready skills tailored to the local market.
That’s been the role of the Franklin County Career Technical Center for many years. And now, under the leadership of director Scott Wiginton, Tech Center classes are preparing students to be workplace-ready in addition to having the skills needed to land a job.
The simulated workplace program began last year as part of the curriculum for all eight career tech programs. The simulated workplace program is based on the West Virginia Simulated Workplace and includes 12 measurement areas that help students meet the needs of tomorrow’s workforce.
The students learn business practices that provide them necessary skills sets, certifications and academics needed both to be successful citizens and successful employees. Instead of just attending a class, they show up to and participate in an actual business setting.
Workplace protocols including professionalism, attendance, punctuality and safety. Studies have shown that simulated workplace instruction not only enhances a student’s career tech education but also creates a more engaged student.
Wiginton said the simulated workplace setting allows students the opportunity to become more directly involved in day-to-day learning.
“The kids take more of a role and the instructor more of a facilitator role,” Wiginton said. “Students serve in job capacities including customer manager, quality control officer, safety officer, receptionist, payroll clerk and more. They call in if they are going to be absent or late, just as they would in an actual job. The human resources manager’s job is to go check the phone daily and see who’s not going to be there.”
Wiginton said the program has worked so well he hopes to see it implemented in other classes outside of career tech.
“I’d like to see us develop into regular classrooms with this. In Enterprise, they have developed a pre-kindergarten program for simulated workplace,” Wiginton said. “The idea is to instill in younger ages that there are responsibilities and consequences for failing to live up to those in the workplace.”
In Andrea Sornberger’s health science classes, students clock in daily before assuming their various workplace roles. Students submitted resumes and went through interviews for the jobs at the beginning of the school year.
“They enjoy having the responsibility for the work they do here,” Sornberger said. “We want them to have the leadership skills they need beyond their education. The students work well together and have also developed teamwork skills.”
Students learn the importance of living up to their responsibilities whether it’s in the role of a receptionist or an office manager.
“They understand that if they don’t do the job they will be demoted to another position until they work their way back up,” Sornberger said.
Sornberger believes the simulated workplace training will benefit her students when they begin clinicals at local hospitals and health care providers in the spring.
In Todd Johnson’s cabinet making class, students start the day by swiping their time cards, followed by going to their locker to get their safety glasses and work shirt. To stress the importance of being on time, half of the students’ grades come from daily attendance and participation.
“They clock in and out at the end of class,” Johnson said. “We have a payroll clerk who pulls all the data every two weeks and writes out [simulated] checks for everyone.”
As director, Wiginton communicates with representatives of local industry regularly and the most frequent concern he hears about their work force is attendance.
“Kids need to walk out of here into G&G Steel, Southern Energy Homes, Tiffin Motor Homes, Pilgrim’s or wherever they go and know their responsibilities,” Wiginton said. “They need to know what FICA is, how to use a time clock, what role an HR manager plays and not wait until they have graduated and then have to learn. We want to get the training to them now so they can be completely focused on their jobs later.”
