Over the past few months the Workforce Development Committee of the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber has been working to collaborate with community partners to address the workforce shortage.  From that a conversation between the local public schools systems, a local manufacturer and an HVAC service company was started to explore how they could introduce career opportunities to high school students.

A team of representatives from Kraft Heinz and Southern Air partnered with Melissa McDonald, Work Based Learning Coordinator of Fredrick County Schools, to create the first Trades and Manufacturing Fair of this type. The hope was to provide insight to non-college degree seeking high school students on career opportunities available in manufacturing and skilled trades.  

On February 15, 2018, Kraft Heinz Company located at 220 Park Center Drive, in Winchester hosted this event of approximately 50 students from one of the following schools: James Wood, Millbrook, Sherando, Clarke County, Triplett Tech, and Handley High Schools.   

Melissa McDonald organized the schedule and transportation of students that arrived by bus to the event. The event was divided into two 2-hour sessions to accommodate the volume of students. Each session began with the Kraft Heinz’s Plant Manager, Dee Gibbs, presenting the history of the plant, products produced, overview of jobs, culture, wages and growth opportunities offered by Kraft Heinz.  Following Dee’s presentation, several members of the Kraft Heinz Team, guided students and chaperones on a plant tour of the production floor. After the plant tour, Reliability Engineer, James Cosner, gave an overview of how his Kraft Heinz career advanced over the years.
Southern Air, a full service Design/Build Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional contractor, lead the second half of the session, by giving students a tour the chiller system at the Kraft Heinz plant, and discussed the different career path options they offer including the skill trade of HVAC.  The Southern Air team was led by Jay Ashton.

Following both employers’ presentations and tours, a Q & A wrap-up discussion was held. Students were engaged and asked a lot of good questions. 
With the successful first event, we are working to expand the Trades and Manufacturing Fair to other companies.  The ultimate goal is to better equip high school students, who do not have plans to attend college, to make a decision about a possible career path in either trades or manufacturing, and show them that Winchester employers have a lot to offer.

If your business is interested in exploring how to get involved in a future Trades and Manufacturing Fair, contact Missy McDonald, Work-Based Learning Coordinator with Frederick County Public Schools at (540) 662-3888 x 88216 or mcdonalm@fcpsk12.net.
To learn more about whether or not this opportunity is a good match for your business, attend the Work-Based Learning Luncheon on Wednesday, May 9, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at the Bright Box Theatre in downtown Winchester.  Visit the Chamber web site at www.regionalchamber.biz and click on the Chamber Calendar for more information and to register.