Students in Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES’ Hospitality and Applied Skills (HaAS) class, taught by Samantha Fowler, are learning valuable work skills that will help them be successful throughout life. Recently, they got a first-hand experience with how team members each play an important part in accomplishing a task, and how an absence can create difficulties for the group.
They began with a multilayered task – creating bags of trail mix. Each coworker had a job to complete, adding a specific ingredient, before the bag could be passed on to the next person. If a worker was late or neglected to inform the team of a planned absence, a problem in production was caused. Students discussed the problems as they happened – back-ups, delays, extra work, decrease in product quality – and potential solutions needed to get back on track. They quickly understood how important it is to be responsible: to get to work, to be punctual, and to call your employer if you are going to be sick or late.
The goal for our students is to prepare to be the best workers any employer could wish for, and the kind of team members their coworkers can depend on. They are well on their way!