The Urbana Youth Center (UYC) recently took about 25 of its student members on a career trip to Bundy Baking Solutions & Rittal to explore local career opportunities. The trip took place during a regular school day at Urbana High School and was planned in coordination with Ohio Hi-Point Career Center and Urbana City Schools.
“It was an awesome opportunity for these students to learn more about Bundy and Rittal – good jobs available right here in Urbana. They were all shocked to learn that Bundy makes the pans for McDonalds & Subways’ buns and that Rittal manufactures the server enclosures for some of the world’s largest organizations,” explained Justin Weller, Executive Director for the Urbana Youth Center.
Sidney Marshall, a current 10th grade student at Urbana who went on the trip found it very valuable. “I thought the trip was really good. I learned that even if I’m not trained in an area, they are willing to train us. They seem very patient and excited to have us work for them. I hope to graduate and work for either Bundy or Rittal,” Marshall shared.
Rittal & Bundy have numerous part-time and full-time job opportunities available locally in manufacturing, coding, robotics, marketing, business, and more. Both employers want to make sure that students know they can find a good paying job locally.
Tom Coles, Vice President of Human Resources for Bundy explained, “Investing in the future workforce isn’t just a good business decision, it is a decision to help provide youth with the means to have a successful life. The Urbana Youth Center is exactly the type of positive, forward thinking that keeps communities strong and thriving. We were honored to participate in this excellent opportunity for students and look forward to our ongoing partnership with UYC.”
“Rittal believes that the community must invest in our youth. They are our future. We were thrilled to support this career trip and show students the extraordinary full-time and part-time opportunities that exist at Rittal. Our team is looking forward to our continued partnership to help the ongoing efforts at the youth center,” Tony Pearson, Human Resource Manager for Rittal, shared.
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center is a career-technical school district serving 14 partner schools in five counties, including Urbana City Schools. Hi-Point works to foster career opportunities for students right out of high school.
“What a fantastic experience for our students. Both Bundy and Rittal gave a great presentation and tour,” Christina Flowers, a Career-Based Intervention teacher for Hi-Point at Urbana High School shared. “Several students left excited about career possibilities for themselves after graduation. I can’t thank the youth center enough for the opportunity that they helped provide for our students. What a fantastic day!”
Don Klingler, Advanced Manufacturing Instructor for Hi-Point at Urbana High School and one of the teachers who participated in the trip said, “What a great opportunity for our students to learn about our local niche manufacturers and what careers they can provide.”
“When meeting and planning with Justin (Weller) and his staff this past summer, I was excited and encouraged to collaborate with the UYC along with our career based program classes here at UHS to provide opportunities for our students to explore career pathways in the community and receive information that can set them up for success post-graduation,” said Nate Sever, Principal at Urbana High School.
The Urbana Youth Center, a project of the GrandWorks Foundation, provides comprehensive youth services to reach, restore, and revive the community. Currently serving more than 500 student members in grades six through twelve, with open hearts, open minds, and open doors UYC educates students through respectful, honest, and open-minded programming – according to the organization’s mission.
“The goal of this trip was to expose local students to great, local career opportunities and that’s what we were able to do thanks to the great community partners who are investing in the future of our community. We really can’t thank them enough,” explained Weller.
“Yes, the youth center is about providing a safe place to hang out and participate in fun activities. That said, one of the main goals of those programs is to build trust with students so we can get them homework and study assistance to improve their grades, provide them food while at the youth center and meals they can take home, get them connected with social groups and support resources, teach them basic life skills, and educate them about the fantastic careers available here at home. That’s what we are doing. That’s what the youth center is all about,” Weller shared.
As a not-for-profit organization, the Urbana Youth Center relies on local donations and grants to operate. According to UYC, volunteers are essential to delivering the programming that makes the youth center a success. Those that want to donate or learn more about UYC can go to https://UrbanaYouthCenter.org or text the youth center at 937-772-4022.
