Manufacturer’s Apprentice Selections All Had Jobs
As it turns out, having a job—any job—is a strong indicator of success.
Is a fast-food job good preparation for a career in manufactuing? It turns out that potentially any job is. Britney Heil, seen here, is one of the first recent high school graduates to be recruited into the new manufacturing apprenticeship program at Alphatec Spine in Carlsbad, California. Six graduating high school seniors were carefully considered for admission to this program, but only three were hired. Ms. Heil had been working at a fast-food restaurant previously. Alphatec chose her and two others after personally meeting with all of the finalists. It then discovered what the three who had been chosen all had in common, and what the three who had not been chosen all lacked. Namely: a job. It seems that having a job—any job—is a strong indicator of success, helping to develop the poise, confidence and interpersonal engagement that can make a young person an attractive candidate for a more career-oriented job later.
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