Students at Asheboro High School were honest — they knew that they did not want to go into human resources. 

When asked what they wanted to do, only one student, senior and football player Quincy Lee, gave a direct answer. 

“I want to do an electrical apprenticeship,” he said. 

First Bank HR Director Emily Hinesley and HR Consultant Vice President Michael Rios explained to him and the other 16 students that even to go into that field, employees still need to have the good communication and other transferable skills they would need as HR specialists.

While explaining what it took to make it into the world of First Bank, the presenters also said that things like reliability, a strong work ethic, and adaptability stand out to employers.

“I would argue treating every problem as an opportunity is going to take you farther than what you would actually expect,” Rios said in regard to adaptability. 

Hinesley and Rios’ presentation was a part of a week-long introduction into the workforce for students across North Carolina.

Jump Start Jobs Week

Communities in Schools North Carolina (CISNC) broke down career-readiness for high schoolers across North Carolina during Jump Start Jobs Week, which took place Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 with events continuing after. 

During this period, schools that have a Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates program — a service offered by CISNC — host speakers and different activities centered around searching for a career, resume building, and discovering what skills students need to get there. 

Jerry Spencer has been a college and career specialist for CISNC at Asheboro High for a year and a half.

He said that it was important to host Jump Start Jobs week at the beginning of the academic year so that he can build off of the lessons from the speakers as the semester goes on. He said that having visitors, such as speakers from the human resource department at First Bank, helps students see how different employment tools are used.

“And just to see it from an employer standpoint, instead of just a teacher standpoint, I think that’s very vital to our kids,” Spencer said. “And with the help from the HR people and local jobs, it’s just great for young people to get the exposure.”

CISNC has three programs that work directly with K-12 students. Community in School model services are directly embedded in schools to provide the services students need. And their Reentry to Resilience program helps students transition from youth development centers back into their community with proper health and mental health services.

Then, there is Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates. This program aims to provide 11th and 12th grade students with the durable skills they need to find careers. Jump Start Jobs Week is one way that they introduce students to different opportunities and job experiences. 

“We believe all kids need and deserve a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start and a healthy future, a marketable skill to use upon graduation, and a chance to give back to peers and the community,” according to a pamphlet from CISNC. “We work with parents to increase family stability, which is so important for our young people.”

CISNC has 18 independent affiliates in 18 different counties. Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates programs are present in 12 of those counties. Across those districts, dozens of presenters came in to discuss everything from taking the ACT to entering community college programs, the military, and local businesses. CISNC’s presence in schools is considered a public-private partnership with external fundraising done by CISNC, organizational leaders said.

“We like hearing about the opportunities and everything that we can try to do. Everything that we wanted to, even if we didn’t have to go to college, and everything we could pursue with just a high school diploma,” 12th grader Nicholas Bender said.

Preparing for the future

President and CEO of CISNC Jill Cox said their services are requested in schools that are considered low-performing or have had a letter grade of C or lower. 

Last year, Spencer said that all 38 of the students he worked with had a GPA increase.

Cox said students should have exposure to the different skills and challenges they will face in the workforce, like what she received from her mom who was a small business owner.

“Because the jobs of the future, you and I don’t even know what skills kids are going to need for those because they haven’t been developed yet, and they’re changing so radically,” Cox said. “So how do we build those fundamental, durable skills and help expose kids to the wide array of job opportunities that exist around them that they may never, never have heard of?” 

Cox said that the hope is students will look back on their experience and remember the staff as people who cared for them and provided guidance and support. 

According to CISNC, 96% of all students in kindergarten through 11th grade that they work with get promoted to the next grade. An even higher percentage of seniors they work with gain employment, enlist in the military, or enroll at a post secondary institution. 

CISNC builds student profiles where they track students’ progress against completion of competencies and goal development. Those competencies are increasing attendance, improving behavior, enhancing coursework, and being graduation and subsequently career ready. CISNC’s site also lists being “life ready.”

Students enrolled in the Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates program specifically have a 100% graduation rate. They also keep in touch with students for 12 months after graduation for support.

Cox said that everything they do is based on building strong interpersonal relationships.

“We know and data has shown that if kids have at least a relationship with one caring adult in a building, their accountability to school and finishing school grows. And our people are those people,” Cox said.

As someone that grew up in Randolph County, Hinesley said she is happy to represent a company that gives back. She said that it ultimately makes their community better and stronger. 

“These kids are the ones that we need to be successful, because they’re the ones that are going to be helping our community grow,” Hinesley said.