Top 3 Reasons High School Students Should Attend a Job Shadow

High school students have a vast variety of things to think about as they move into the next stage of their life. Helping them explore all career options is vital in making sure they have the tools necessary to make educated decisions about their futures. At FTI, we help students prepare by providing job shadow opportunities, where they can learn more about career opportunities with our organization and in the trades overall.

Here are the top three reasons a student should attend a job shadow event.

• Hands-on opportunities to explore going into the trades. We have found that students truly enjoy being able to not only see what they would be doing in their career as a technician or electrician, but also experience some of the associated tasks in a controlled environment. When we asked for feedback on a recent job shadow, the results were clear that these experiences helped them learn more about career opportunities and to feel fully engaged throughout the day. Giving students a job shadow opportunity often helped re-enforce their decision on their future career.
• Learn about the organization as a whole, rather than a focus on one area that could occur during an interview process. During a job shadow, students see not only what they would be doing on the systems or electrical side but also take a dive into estimating, preconstruction, manufacturing and much more. Our goal is to help them see that looking into the future, there are many opportunities in the trades that are in high demand. Each team member at FTI plays an important role in the organization’s success, and students can get a glimpse of how that all comes together.
• Hear success stories from various levels of the organization and get real-life examples of what a career at FTI can be. Students hear from multiple levels of field apprentices, estimating professionals, preconstruction experts and leadership, with our current team members speaking about their experience in the organization and the path to where they are today. Students are given the opportunity to ask questions and dive deeper into the areas of interest.

Helping high school students understand what career opportunities are available in the trades is vital, not only for their futures as they become adults, but also for the success and growth of organizations. The future is theirs to explore, and a job shadow can help! Check out some upcoming opportunities or email [email protected] to learn more.