This group of teenagers huddled in this business parking lot during school hours isn’t playing hooky. They’re preparing to go to class inside SRC Electrical in Springfield.
Once inside, they’re greeted by Erin Malone, a human resources manager with rectangle glasses and a big smile.
MALONE: “Are we ready? Right this way…”
The students, dressed neatly in their brightly colored collared shirts and dresses, shuffle down a hallway…
“Take a left…”
…into a bright room lined with huge windows and a large projection screen.
“What we’re going to do today is go through a basic new hire orientation,” explains Malone.
For the next two hours, these teenagers will learn the ins and outs of an SRC electrical employee’s job as part of the Greater Ozarks Centers for Advanced Professional Studies, or, GOCAPS program.
The 14 students come from various area high schools, and are all considering pursuing a career in engineering.
“The GOCAPS program gets students actually involved in business projects,” says Earhart.
That’s the course instructor, Darrin Earhart. He’s been in engineering and manufacturing for 35 years.
“I’m not a career educator by any means. I’ve been that guy that, for 10 years, has complained about the gap between education and the business world, and this seemed like a good opportunity for me to do something about it,” says Earhart.
Closing that gap is exactly what GOCAPS is all about. The program, managed by the Springfield Area Chamber of Conference, is a partnership between local businesses and 13 area school districts. Through GOCAPS, high school juniors and seniors get a chance to enroll in a dual credit class, and get hands mentoring and training from program instructors and area businesspeople.
“We spend the first couple weeks of the program working on soft skills, communication skills, how to write a proper email, things of that sort.”
After that comes the second part of the course—going on-site to learn about engineering jobs at local businesses—which is why these 14 students are at SRC Electrical.
“This is an interactive process, this is a conversation I like to have with you, I don’t just like to talk at you,” Malone says.
Malone takes the students through different aspects of working at SRC Electrical. But she doesn’t limit it to only company policy—she offers students general advice, as well.
“Attendance—everybody shows up every day at school, well attendance is a big issue at your workplace.”
Dress code…
“All of you guys look very spiffy today, great job."
Malone doesn’t sugar coat things.
“When you’re out into your jobs, check your paychecks. You’ll see things like taxes, and you’ll go man, oh, man, that’s a lot of money in taxes. Well, that’s the way the world works,” says Malone.
The class is later greeted by a special guest.
MALONE: “Guys, this is Jack Stack, he’s the CEO of our company—Jack, this is the GOCAPS engineering string!”
Stack: “Wow, I don’t know if I want to come over there with so many smart people in the area.”
The GOCAPS students sit up a little straighter, some smiling nervously as Stack stands at the front of the room to address them. The CEO smiles, and looks carefully at each student in turn, offering his advice on getting hired at a new job.
“Best advice I can give you is to figure out why someone would say no, and make sure they don’t do it,” says Stack.
After talking to the students for a few more minutes, Stack exits, and the conversation turns to focus on the student’s plans after high school. No matter what path the students decide to pursue after they graduate, both Malone and Earhart stress that good communication skills are key, especially for engineers.
“I think there’s a misconception from the public, and by engineers early in their careers, that communication skills are not as critical than in other fields, but they are potentially even more critical, because you’re dealing with technical elements, you’re dealing with things that you may need to be able to describe to a worker in non-technical terms,” says Earhart.
Levi Maasen, a Central High School senior, says developing those soft skills is one of the many benefits of participating in GOCAPS.
“It’s taught me a lot of things I wouldn’t be able to learn in school, like social norms, and how to be business professional.”
The greatest benefit from the program though, he says, is being exposed to the different options available in this field. He knows he wants to travel, but is not exactly sure what kind of engineering to do.
“I was thinking electrical engineering when I first got here, but there’s a lot of different branches of engineering, and GOCAPS helps you see how each of those different branches of engineering function,” Maasen says.
Claire Croley, a senior at Springfield Catholic, is also using GOCAPS as a chance to narrow down her career choice.
“Going through this, I get to see all these engineering places, and all these other kids that love it, so I’m just now trying to figure out what I’m best suited for,” Croley says.
Morgan Harris is a senior at Nixa High School, in her second year of GOCAPS.
Besides visiting local businesses, GOCAPS students complete various community projects throughout the year before creating a personal capstone project. Harris explains her project from last year.
" I built a pavilion for one of the school’s gardens down in Nixa, and kind of built it and went through the whole thing," says Harris.
By now, the new hire orientation has concluded, and it’s time for the second part of the GOCAPS students’ day.
“You’re actually going to get to sit through one of our large huddles. Our entire company gets together..." Malone explains.
While Malone and the students continue conversing, SRC Electrical employees, most dressed in coveralls, meander into the room for the meeting and fill the available seats. , from the back of the room where I stand – aside from the dress - it’s no longer apparent who is a GOCAPS student and who is an SRC Electrical Employee. For a moment, everyone is simply an engineer.
For KSMU news, I’m Kathryn Eutsler.
