As the groundhog gets ready to look for his shadow, students of Loring Job Corps Center will join thousands of employers and fellow students around the country who are taking part in Groundhog Job Shadow Days during the week of Monday, Jan. 28 and ending on Groundhog Day (Friday, Feb 1).
The annual event, aimed to engage students in the world of work, has paired student “shadows” with “workplace mentors” since 1999, introducing students to the workplace and demonstrating the connection between academics and careers. According to Job Corps officials, the goal of Groundhog Job Shadow Day is to match more than one million young people with workplace mentors. Students of the Loring Job Corps Center will join the national event shadowing mentors in the Limestone, Caribou and Presque Isle region.
According to Business and Community Liaison at the Loring Job Corps Center Pam Buck, the week will provide valuable workplace experience to students who will be shadowing at an array of local businesses that will also include local congressional offices.
“From past Shadow involvements, students have always looked forward to shadowing real businesses to give them a more in-depth understanding of their job potential and opportunities. After being involved in job shadowing it encourages our students to eagerly look onward to their completion to become employed in their vocational technical training,” Buck said. “Also, our participating business community partnerships have always had a positive experience of accommodating our students for their shadow experiences.”
“Groundhog Job Shadow Day provides a unique opportunity to make the world of work come alive for our young people – and that’s what Job Corps is all about,” Buck added. “Each year, Job Corps teaches approximately 60,000 students the skills they need to become employable.”
The Loring Job Corps Center traditionally hosts approximately 500 students a year who complete the education and vocational technical training program.
“Job Corps understand the importance of making the connection between center classrooms and employer workplaces, and Groundhog Job Shadow Day offers our students another opportunity to do just that,” Buck said.
