GAINESVILLE - Hall County school officials want to know what the school system can do to better prepare students to enter the job market.<br />
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So, they are reaching out to these companies and recently met with representatives of several of them along with chamber of commerce officials to discuss the issue.<br />
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Business community representatives who were on hand included:<br />
 John Wright, Fieldale Farms Corp.<br />
 J.D. Mealor, Wells Fargo Bank<br />
 Johnny Johnson, Raymond James Financial Services<br />
 Dick Valentine, United Community Bank, Inc.<br />
 Mimi Collins, Longstreet Clinic<br />
 Bill Donohue, Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority<br />
 Grier Todd, Lake Lanier Islands<br />
 Darrell Snyder, Georgia Power<br />
 Kit Dunlap, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce<br />
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In addition to Hall County Supt. of Schools Will Schofield, other school system officials and county school board members Nath Morris, Bill Thompson, and Sam Chapman.<br />
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Schofield began by asking each company rep and Dunlap to begin on a positive note by telling "us things we do well." <br />
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Dunlap opened the dialogue by commending the school system on programs such as Youth Leadership Hall, the apprenticeship and internship programs, which help to prepare students through practical, meaningful work experiences. <br />
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Darrell Snyder then commended the Hall County School District for developing and <br />
incorporating career pathways for high school students. <br />
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Johnny Johnson, who had two children graduate form Hall County Schools, commended the district for the innovative programs that have been put in place in spite of economic challenges, noting specifically the World Language Academy, Da Vinci Academy, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, and numerous charter schools.<br />
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Schofield then turned the page asking, "What can we do to better prepare our students?"<br />
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Grier Todd of Lake Lanier Islands was one of the first to respond. <br />
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"We hire 600 seasonal employees a year," Todd said. "Our biggest problem is basic work ethics: showing up on time when scheduled, performing the duties of the job, communicating with customers and fellow employees, and solving work <br />
related problems." <br />
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Mimi Collins of Longstreet Clinic continued with Greer's theme of problem <br />
solving, asking, "How do we teach our young employees to deal with a difficult situation in a rationale way?" She elaborated by saying students transitioning to the workplace need more help in developing critical thinking skills to help solve problems. <br />
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Dick Valentine of United Community Bank would like to see more application of what he called "practical life experiences." For example, he wants students not only to comprehend math concepts, but also to apply them to life situations, such as keeping a check book balanced to avoid ruining your credit. <br />
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Finally, with so many jobs of the future calling for more skilled training, Dunlap said she would like to see more emphasis on technical post secondary education. Many college graduates end up going back to technical schools because jobs in highest demand require technical training. Given that, she says we need to continue our efforts to educate the students as to what viable options exists for them.
