Connecting with the Future Workforce
By: Linda Skoglund, Communications Director
Get out of the classroom and into the business community!” – That’s the motto of a Minnesota high school initiative that connects young people with real-world learning beyond the classroom. This program gave students a look inside the world of cooling systems during a tour at NARSA member Northern Radiator’s factory in Willmar, Minnesota.
According to Kelly Johnson, a US History teacher and the facilitator of Kandiyohi CEO (KCEO), “Business concepts learned through the KCEO class are critical to 21st-century skills, including problem solving, teamwork, self-motivation, project management, responsibility, communication, and a stick-to-it mentality, which are at the heart of student development throughout the course.” These aspiring entrepreneurs meet for 90 minutes each school day from 7:15-8:45 am in a variety of businesses. Over the course of the year, students have to complete three major class projects, including a class Gala event and a Spring Trade Show.
During the visit at Northern Radiator, students walked through the facility learning all aspects of the company including day-to-day operations, sales, and distribution processes.
“Northern has always been a strong supporter of the youth in our community,” said Northern Radiator President/CEO Hope Thompson. “Being able to assist by mentoring a student or by hosting visits to this class allows for networking unavailable to these young adults in the traditional classroom. It is always impressive to meet these shy, quiet students at the outset of the class and then see how they have grown in their confidence to talk to any adult/business person in the room.”
Among the group was Andres Rojas, a junior at New London Spicer High School in Minnesota. Rojas would like to study finance in college and pursue a job in banking. “I thought the most intriguing part of the tour was the distribution system they had within the building, including how they organized their inventory,” said Rojas.
Other students were impressed with the technology they saw at Northern. “I thought the most interesting part of the tour was seeing the 3D scanner they use to scan the radiators," said Brayden Johnson, a junior at Atwater Cosmos Grove City School in West Atwater, Minnesota.
“We had some great questions around how our sales team operates, how we manage inventory, if the tariffs have affected us and how we have managed them, as well as what it means to be Employee-Owned and how that has impacted our team,” said Thompson. “Great questions from these young minds!”
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