Students from Cuyahoga Heights High School did not go far to learn about the transition from school to the workforce. Seventeen classmates recently visited Worthington Industries to learn more about its operation and careers in the steel industry. Located at 4310 East 49th Street in Cuyahoga Heights, Worthington is a leading industrial steel processor and producer of laser welded products. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Worthington operates 57 facilities in 15 states and six countries, and employs approximately 9,000 people.
The students met with several staff members beginning with Human Resources Generalist Peggy Young who spoke about the importance of “soft skills” in the workplace. “She stressed the importance of attendance and showing up ready to work as well as the handshake, making eye contact, of not being afraid to talk to one another, and to make connections, as important components to being successful on the job,” said Julie Regula, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center Career Specialist for the Cuyahoga Heights Schools, who coordinated the visit, along with Cuyahoga Heights math teacher Jim Rademaker and Intervention Specialist Dr. Brian Friedt.
In conversations with other staff members, students were helped to understand how initial education and experience can evolve to enable an individual to take on unexpected, yet successful roles in the workplace. For example, Transformation Lead William Jacobs, whose background is in marketing, discussed his current role to review processes and implement systems for efficiency. Quality Manager Kristina Davis, who is a chemical engineer, shed light on her role and what it involved in maintaining product quality. Both Jacobs and Davis demonstrated how they were able to utilize their educational background in a different way and to transition skills learned in previous roles to be successful in their current positions. This helped the students to see how preparation for a specific career can lead to other opportunities. “You may think your career is in one direction, but this changes as you go along,” explained Regula. “For example, manufacturing doesn’t have to be one tract. You can change and adapt your skills to meet new opportunities that develop.”
The students also donned hardhats and safety vests to visit the production floor and the Metal (Met) Lab when they met with a metallurgist, who explained some of the experiments done to check steel thickness and to ensure that it meets the customer’s specifications. They also met with the local transportation and shipping managers who gave them a tour of the plant and, likewise, explained their backgrounds and current responsibilities.
”Students often have a narrow view when it comes to career opportunities,” noted Regula. “Seeing a workplace like Worthington Industries, which offers a wide range of career paths – from engineering and manufacturing to quality control, human resources, management, and shipping – can help them realize that a steel processing plant is more than just about steel. It’s a place with diverse opportunities for growth, and this is true across many industries. I also think it’s important for our Cuyahoga Heights students to recognize how fortunate they are to have so many established companies right in their own backyard. Having these opportunities so close to home can open doors and provide valuable connections for their future careers.”