Usherwood Hosts Local High School Students for Immersive Tech Workshop
On Tuesday, January 16th, Usherwood Office Technology hosted students from G. Ray Bodley High School for a day of interactive presentations from Usherwood tech experts. The local students from Fulton, NY visited thanks to a program through the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) Workforce Development Team.
Students got the full Usherwood experience, speaking with experts in cybersecurity, IT, printer and copier technology, and business operations. Sean Broderick, Early College High School Program Coordinator at G. Ray Bodley High School spoke about what the program does for the students.
“A day here at Usherwood is invaluable for our students. Being behind the walls of a business like this that operates at such a high level of technology gives our students an opportunity to be outside of the classroom, in the business world meeting and talking to people who are doing this valuable work every day,” said Sean.
Facilitated through a grant from the New York State Department of Education for an information technology pathway, this program gives kids a way to explore what careers interest them.
“Beginning in eighth grade, we start recruiting for this program. It gives our students the opportunity to explore career pathways like in information technology,” Sean said.
Sean mentioned that this can give students both college credits and hopefully a bit of direction as they prepare to choose and apply to college programs.
The students started off with a tour by Lauren Usherwood of the “Usherwood Way”, a brief history of Usherwood as a fixture in the Central New York region since 1976. Learning about Usherwood’s start in Oswego, NY to its expansion over five decades to six US states and 18 offices, students got to know a bit about what it took to grow the business.
Afterward, the kids spoke to COO Cliff Laws and Director of Imaging Services Jeff Spink about Usherwood’s warehouse and device set-up operations.
Later in the day, students spoke to John Daniel, Director of IT Services about the unique ways he leads the Technical Assistance Center to problem-solve and service clients throughout the work day.
MACNY is an organization committed to closing the labor gap by introducing students to career possibilities within the STEM fields. Partners For Education & Business, Inc. is a branch of MACNY specializing in work-based learning programming for kids from kindergarten through age 16. On their website, the program details the activities they facilitate in the local community:
“We believe workforce development begins well before high school graduation, and we are committed to closing the gap between education and industry. Our team accomplishes this through engaging local employers across industry sectors in work-based learning programming for schools through facility tours, job shadows, internships, professionalism workshops, and guest speakers,” –MACNY Partners for Education & Business Inc.
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