Work with a Foundation of Learning

Work-based learning, or should I say work with a foundation in learning? I’ve spent many years directly working with work-based learning in my roles as a Network Cable Installation Instructor (NCI) Instructor for Ottumwa Job Corps and Telecom Installation Supervisor for Mahaska Communications Group (MCG). In my time at Ottumwa Job Corps, I prepared students for the opportunity to participate in work-based learning with MCG and other Internet Service Providers. At MCG I have taken work-based learning students from Ottumwa Job Corps and helped them to develop into full time employees at MCG and also prepared them for employment with other businesses.

Work-Based Learning in Skilled Trades

The trades are so vital right now and, frankly, always have been an integral part of how we do business. Since the dawn of known history, skilled trades have been the linchpin of society. Men and women of skilled trades have paved the way and woven the fabric of our infrastructure and every aspect of our existence. From building roads and skyscrapers to modern telecommunications.

So how does modern work-based learning play into the advancement of skilled trades? To me it’s simple… work-based learning is an avenue for skilled tradesmen and women to invest in a person, a company, or a generation and impart knowledge and hands-on experience that may not, otherwise, be available to them. When Musco, MCG or I take a work-based learner under our wing, we are committing to empowering, educating and training a future workforce participant. But it really goes much deeper than that, for me. I am investing in the development of that individual on a personal and professional level. It is not just about training them to complete a task. It is about helping them to advance as a person and that, in turn, gives them a fighting chance at being more employable.

For Job Corps, MCG and Musco, it is about setting that individual up with the best odds to be a well-rounded person and employee, even if they never step foot in our building again. When I take on a work-based learning student, I am committing to that individual. I have trained students from various backgrounds and demographics in many different skillsets, but the best part of being a mentor, is seeing a light come on in a person that just gained a valuable piece of the puzzle. That may be how to balance a checkbook. It may be how to open a checking account or how to dress for an interview. These things are just as valuable as trade skills.

Learning Soft Skills to Become a Great Employee

It is part of my investment in them to teach them how to run and terminate Cat6 Cable and how to install, test and troubleshoot internet service. But it is all for nothing if they do not possess the soft skills to keep the job. This makes it paramount for me to look at all aspects of what makes a great employee. One thing I have always loved about Musco is they believe that if you hire the right person, you can train all the other “stuff.” That means hiring a person with the soft skills and the right personality to fit in with the culture of Musco. Teach them what you need them to know to execute the vision and you will have happy employees. This translates to happy customers.

I love Dr. Suess and one of my favorite Dr. Suess quotes is from The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s Not.”

I take a personal responsibility and make it my duty to care a whole awful lot about the future of our skilled trades and specifically about the future of the people that choose to take this journey with me. We journey together and we can’t make it alone. It takes us all to hold each other up when we are feeling too weak to make it … to lift each other up when we have done well and keep our spirits up and full of life. Also, to be a soft hammer when a correction of course is necessary. Would all this work without work-based learning as an option? It sure would … but I prefer a world where we can lean into each other and get each other to the finish line. I guess I’m a three-legged race kind of guy when it all is said and done.

Check out the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s next Work-Based Learning workshop series event on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 on The Partnership’s events page.

Job opportunities and career resources are abundant in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Whether you're looking to find an internship, a job, develop professionally or grow as a student, we have the resources to help you thrive.