In November, over 35 area businesses participated in Darke County Job Shadow Week. This annual event, held Nov. 8-12, 2021, partnered 140 local high school juniors & seniors with career representatives. The job shadow appointments, coordinated by Darke County Economic Development (DCED), allowed students to explore their career interests by visiting local worksites to observe employees on the job, providing realistic information and an opportunity to be mentored by a professional, which is valuable to both students and employers.
“Students can learn that they are well matched to their career interests and it can help them focus on their goals. Other students may find that the career is different than they expected and decide to head in another direction. Both confirming their choices and eliminating a career are positive outcomes from a job shadow”, stated Tamala Marley, Workforce Specialist at DCED and event coordinator. “The menu of options helps students realize the wide variety of career opportunities in Darke County. Students may be pleased to learn that positions they are interested are readily available in our area.”
Students selected from over 70 different local careers, including business & administration, engineering and technology, IT, public safety, social services, skilled trades, and more. Job Shadow Week is just one of the opportunities coordinated by DCED for local schools with the goal of retaining young talent in Darke County.
DCED would like to thank those businesses who volunteered to participate in Darke County Job Shadow Week and made this opportunity possible for our local students including Arch Cutting Tools, Ault, Henderson & Lewis, Brumbaugh Construction, Bruns Animal Clinic, Casey’s – Union City, City of Greenville – Fire, Police, and Street Departments, Cooper Farms, Darke County Auditor’s Office, Darke County Sheriff’s Department, Darke County Veterinary Service, Dick Lavy Trucking, Direct Tooling Concepts, Dr. Stephen Stentzel, Esarey & Associates, Financial Achievement Services, Fort Recovery Industries, Garbig and Schmidt Law Offices, GNB Banking Centers, HER Realtors, JAFE Decorating, Lehman Chiropractic, Littman-Thomas Agency, NKTelco, Midmark Corporation, Mote and Associates, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Phelan Insurance, Pohl Transportation, Ramco Electric Motors, Recovery & Wellness Centers, Schultz Motors, Spirit Medical Transport, 3-Way Electric, Village Green Health Campus, Village of Arcanum, Village of Versailles, VPP Industries, Whistle Stop and WTGR.
