Buckeye Career Center staff visited area businesses during an in-service day on October 12. Pictured from left to right at Adventure Harley-Davidson in Dover are: Sitting - Erla Bartell and Chris Rufenacht; standing - Jeff Newsome, Jason Miller, John Fisher, John Resh, Kendra Yoder, Melissa Thomas, Brad Pfeiffer, and Kim Fisher. (Submitted photo)

New Philadelphia, Ohio - Buckeye Career Center educators are now better prepared to connect the needs of the local workforce to the curriculum being taught to BCC students. 

Last week, staff participated in an in-service day that included visits to businesses within the career clusters offered at Buckeye.
They were encouraged to view employees in action during the workday, identify employer expectations for employees, and gain insight to help students achieve employment.

In addition to hearing the specific needs of each industry, Buckeye staff also learned that employers are seeking applicants with excellent soft skills. 

Mark’s Place Salon & Spa owner Mark Luikart explained that his employees must interview their clients to provide the best experience possible. 

“You’re not going to fulfill what they want unless you can ask, listen and provide follow up questions,” he said. 

Luikart also stressed the need for his stylists to have basic math skills for coloring techniques. 

“Say you mixed four ounces of color and have an ounce left over, [you need to] change your formula to cut that down,” he said.

Staff members also visited Walnut Creek Foods where they learned about the expectations of both truck drivers and customer service representatives from Buckeye Business/Marketing instructor Heather Coletti.

“Communication skills are important to them. They want truck drivers to have skills because they are dealing with customers just as much as someone in the office,” she explained. 

During his presentation to BCC staff, Commercial Truck Technology instructor Chris Rufenacht complimented the Kimble Companies for employing current students or alumni from the majority of labs offered at BCC. He also made note of the safety procedures his group witnessed while touring the landfill facilities. 

“I think it was an eye-opener for those who have never been there. Safety is very big out there, which is why we teach our kids safety in all our classes. Safety is our main thing,” he said.

Buckeye Career Center thanks all businesses who participated in the staff in-service, which included Walnut Creek Foods, Union Hospital, Park Village, Skyline Homes, ProVia, Tuscarawas County Jail, Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center, STAR Alternative School, Dover Hydraulics, Allied Machine & Engineering, Adventure Harley Davidson, The Kimble Companies, Mark’s Place Salon & Spa, and A New Angle Salon.

BUCKEYE CAREER CENTER