When the question is asked of business owners, what do students need to succeed in the workplace, the answers are similar: they need to be academically competent with workforce ready skills. Fairless Local decided about a year ago to take a new approach to ensure workforce ready skills for their graduates and designed a program aptly named - LifeReady Badging. (Continued below the video.)

Fairless Local worked in partnership with Kent State University Stark, Stark Education Partnership, Arts in Stark, Malone University, Walsh Univeristy, Stark State College, the University of Akron, the United States Military, the East Central Ohio Building Trades, and the Shelly Company to design the professional development series for seniors. The three-day series will fulfill the Ohio Department of Education capstone pathway for graduation, but the goal is much bigger than just graduation. The goal is to develop graduates who have the soft skills needed to be competitive and successful in an ever-changing economy.

The first LifeReady professional development day for seniors was held in October. LifeReady is a collaborative badging program for seniors at Fairless High School designed to develop the skills they need to succeed across all career fields, and in fact, in every day life in general. Across the three-day experience, students will experience sessions led by working professionals, university and local leaders, and members of the armed services who will provide guidance, instruction and mentoring to seniors on their path to graduation.

On day one held in October, students engaged in morning sessions taught by Kent State University staff on the topics of emotional intelligence, creativity and conflict resolution. The lunch speaker, Mike Gallina, an Aultcare executive, introduced tools for goal setting and a decision making matrix that can be used for any life challenge. This was followed by a hands-on, team problem solving experience lead by Arts in Stark.

During the afternoon, students attended a college fair as well as heard about other pathways for training presented by leaders from the trade unions and the military.

In every session, students had the opportunity to interact with representatives and ask important questions. The day ended with students being challenged to reflect on the difficulties faced by millennials as they enter the workforce as they viewed a Simon Sinek interview and were prompted with questions by Dr. Teresa Purses. Students who complete this series will earn a KSU Stark endorsed “LifeReady Badge” that will be placed on their permanent transcript. We believe these experiences will provide Fairless students with opportunities to reflect on their future goals and aspirations and have support through the process.