OTHELLO — In what is being billed as the first major effort in many years to connect local employers with local students, the Othello Industry Council, Adams County Development Council and the Othello School District have teamed up to provide local kids a ‘passport to the future.'

The Othello Career Showcase, an all-day event with an emphasis on STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and math, will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Oct. 12 in the Othello High School gymnasium.

Local employers will meet with about 1,500 Othello middle and high school students in a dynamic career fair format to showcase the career fields they offer and inform them of specific skills, certifications and degrees jobs require.

Students will also be introduced to Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center and Big Bend Community College programs with an emphasis of professional and technical fields; all of which can open doors for future job placement.

“We created the Othello Industry Council back in January of 2016 for a couple of reasons,” said Stephen McFadden, Adams County economic director. “Our larger employers were telling us they were not engaged with local government or connected with the local school district — all seemed to have a similar challenge in workforce development.”

A decision was then made to hold quarterly meetings with community leadership to discuss local employers concerns and how the council could resolve them.

“What kept coming up was no access to a future work source, not knowing how to communicate to students about quality jobs available — the skills they need to get them and the soft skills they need to keep them — like being to work on time — call in when you are sick and put your phone away while on the job,” McFadden said. “After cultivating these concerns the idea to have a career fair day with the school district was hatched.”

The Industry Council then presented the idea to Othello District Superintendent Chris Hurst, who gave them the thumbs up.

“The idea of the Othello Career Showcase came about at such a good time because we were looking to bring 21st century skills and global pathways to our students so they can be competitive in the workplace,” said Amy Parris, school district career director. “The kids are used to college fairs and being able to talk with recruiters, but now they'll be identifying career interests. My hope after the Showcase is that employers from the community come back and visit specifically targeted students who were interested in their businesses and be able to talk with them in a more intimate environment where they (the students) can get more detailed information.”

Julie Flyckt, Adams County Development Council business development and marketing coordinator, said local employers are on board with the objective of the planned event.

“The feedback we've received from business in Othello is they have not seen something like this in a long time. They were very excited to see the emphasis come back around to job and career,” Flyckt said. “There was a past movement that was really career focused, but when the career focus help happened — the engagement for jobs with those businesses dropped off.”

Flyckt said Evergreen Implement is one local business that has expressed excitement to bring the focus back to job and career. “Roger Thieme sees the value in students being connected with business and helping to expand their careers moving forward.”

Building up the local workforce

Kids who grow up in a heavy agricultural area such as Othello, have typically moved away after graduating high school because there aren't many job opportunities they are necessarily interested in. The Career Showcase is an effort to retain the graduates and build up the local workforce by providing jobs of interest.

“I think sometimes we really don't realize the types of jobs that are available in our backyard,” Flyckt said. “With the advancement in technology, there are even more opportunities to have jobs on a local level. The agriculture business has changed. It's not that hard back-breaking work anymore — there's a real need for youth with technological skills in the industry.”

Only Othello kids targeted

The Showcase is being put on exclusively for Othello middle and high school students, but it could branch out to other schools in Adams County at a future date.

“We are always looking at the interest of each community,” Flyckt said. “With Ritzville being the next largest community there could be a potential of engaging in the same type of partners to do something similar. But what I find is each community will adapt to what meets its needs. There is a movement statewide for career connective learning. Communities looking to expand more opportunities in job and career are coming on board to be a part of the initiative.”

Evergreen Implement, Columbia Basin Health Association and the Adams County Development Council are providing funding for the Othello Career Showcase. No direct state funds are being made available.

“We aren't receiving any state funding that's specifically earmarked for the Showcase. But the Development Council does have a contract with the Department of Commerce,” Flyckt said. “The work we are contracted to do is definitely tied to it though. The Department of Commerce wants to help reach out to schools to help build current job opportunities for students, so it fits with state funding the council receives as an entity to do just that.”

Planning committee partners for the Othello Career Showcase include the Adams County Development Council, Othello School District, Big Bend Community College, Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, SVZ and SkillSource.

Business entities wanting to be a part of the Othello Career Showcase need to contact Stephen McFadden 509-331-2025 or Julie Flyckt 509-331-2042. Registration deadline is Sept. 29.

“There is no cost to exhibitors,” McFadden said. “We want anyone in this zip code that has trouble finding employees to sign up and be at this event — the sooner — the better.”