During the month of October, Power Test hosted students from Milwaukee Public Schools as part of the COSBE – Be the Spark Program. This program, facilitated by the Council of Small Business Executives, seeks to give students the opportunity to experience Wisconsin businesses. The goal being to open their eyes to the many career paths that are available to them, and encourage them to pursue the skills necessary to make those careers a reality.
Power Test welcomed two separate groups in October and gave 80 students the opportunity to explore our facilities. Power Test is unique in that our Sussex, WI facility hosts every facet of our international business. Engineering, Design, Sales, Marketing, Purchasing, Administration, and every aspect of the manufacturing product were represented during the tour. Students were divided into groups and given the opportunity to ask specific questions of each of these departments. Ultimately, these students were given perspective on many professional careers they may not have considered.
“I believe that creating experiences for kids is a great learning tool. Learning takes place outside of the classroom as well as inside, but I think its much more effective when they have the hands on experience to see it for themselves,” said Randy Nichols, a teacher at the Lincoln Center of the Arts. Mr. Nichols, along with other teachers from the school can see the impact this experience has on their students going forward.
Students are able to identify the things they like and enjoy, and apply that to the jobs and careers they saw at Power Test. Students with creative and artistic minds gravitated towards engineering where they saw Power Test employees design, draw, and ultimately create their visions. Mathematically inclined students saw that their skillsets were directly applicable to the business administration and finance side. Those students who are very hands on were passionate about seeing our products in action. Overall, there was an impact on everyone.
Familiarizing themselves with industries and businesses that aren’t a part of their core curriculum can be hugely beneficial to these students going forward. Power Test is proud to be able to support this program and is proud of our ability to Make It Better.