(June 9, 2022) A team of forward thinkers at Climax has rolled out a new recruitment strategy that makes the standard-issue job fair seem as last-century as the typewriter.
Though some job fair staples like foam board placards and tchotchkes still endure, the presentation from Climax representatives offered a way for students to start preparing for a full- or part-time job that starts the day they leave school – whether it’s college, junior college or high school.
What’s more, high school students in Summit County, Colo., who will be the required 18 years of age can spend their senior year attending school for two to three days a week and working at Climax the remaining days, earning wages of more than $20 an hour. And get this, the opportunity is extended to friends and family of the students.
“Whether they come to us as full time or part time, they’re going to work on a rotating crew so that they get to see and experience all the job areas, and then at end of their 90-day training, they choose (from available open positions) the career path they want to take,” said Tad Fry, Supervisor-Training at Climax. “And we give them cards to take for friends and family members, because the same offer applies, and there are lots of great benefits that come with it.”
Preparing to enter the workforce
Snowy Peaks High School principal Jim Smith told students during a recent presentation the school aims to help them prepare for college as well as help those who choose to join the workforce after completing high school.
“We visit colleges like the one we did last week to help you (seniors) decide where you want to go to college,” Smith said. “But some of you seniors don’t want to take another English class. You’re ready to start your career, and I can tell you what Climax is offering you today is a really exceptional opportunity.”
The 90-day Step Up program starts with safety training, then it puts trainees on rotating crews to learn from the employees in all the different departments they serve. At the end of the 90-day training period, the students can apply for job openings in the job areas aligned with what they learned and experienced on the rotating crew.
“We think of Step Up as three phases,” Fry said. “We introduce you to the company and the different jobs, and we give you something to think about in Phase 1. Then in Phase 2, when you turn 18, you get hired and start your training. After your 90 days, you pick the job opening that’s the best fit for you and where you want your career to go, and that’s when Phase 3 of your career begins.”
When a student turns 18, they have the choice of starting the Step Up program for a full-time or part-time job.
Presentation goes old school
As modern as the program and the new, slick video were, Fry and team went old school all the way back to elementary school for one key part of the presentation.
“We went all the way back to show-and-tell, when you would bring your mom or dad to your classroom to talk about what they did for your class,” Fry said. “We brought people in from all the different job areas, and we have to talk a little bit and answer questions afterward from the students who were interested in those jobs areas.”
Snowy Peaks is a magnet school for transformational education in the Summit County School District. Of the 75 students in attendance at the presentation – the first to feature all the elements Fry and team have developed – a healthy percentage of students already have responded.
“We had 11 individuals that expressed interest after the presentation,” Fry said. “Of course, most of them had to take information home so they could talk to their parents, but it was awesome that we had that many who wanted to know more.”
Since talking with the students at Snowy Peaks, Fry also has presented on the Step Up program to several other areas schools with a similar positive response, he said.
Photo: Rolling out the Climax Step Up job recruitment program at Snowy Peaks High School were (left to right) Tad Fry, Supervisor-Training, Marcos Pizana, Truck Driver I, Amy Ferryman, Senior Chemist, Billy Madrid, Superintendent-Mine Maintenance and Fatima Lizardo, Senior Administrative Assistant.