Festus High School has started a program that will offer students real-world job experience as part of their education.
The program, called Supervised Marketing Experience, puts students to work at local businesses, allowing them to learn about the business world and earn some money at the same time.
Right now the program is only for seniors.
“This is an opportunity for our kids to take a class here at school, but also to get practical workplace experience,” Principal Karl Shininger said. “You can say it’s an extension of our marketing education classrooms.”
Robert Propst, who teaches the school’s marketing 1, marketing 2 and retail classes, said the program will provide students with important experience that could help them later in life when they’re pursuing other jobs and careers.
“I have about 30 students signed up for the program,” Propst said. “They’re supposed to take what they learn in class and apply it in the workplace. These students will get to leave school the last two hours each day and go to their place of employment.”
He said some of the students enrolled in the program already had jobs, so they can continue working there to fulfill the course requirements.
“We’re working with the community and businesses to place the other students into jobs. The district is helping those without jobs find employment,” Propst said.
Students in the program earn credits toward graduation.
“They can earn up to two credits,” Propst said.
He said some of the businesses that employ students in the program include the Twin City Walmart Supercenter, JCM Party Rentals in Crystal City, the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Herculaneum and the Imo’s and Domino’s pizza shops in Festus.
Propst said businesses don’t have to be located in the Twin City area to participate in the program.
Jim Muellersman, owner of JCM Party Rentals, which rents out tables, chairs, tents and other items for parties and business events, said he is happy to participate in the Supervised Marketing Experience program.
“The stuff the kids learn from us, they use to get a better job,” Muellersman said. “We’re pretty much a proving ground.”
Muellersman said young people often lack the experience and skills needed to get a job or be successful in a job.
“They’ll get work experience,” he said. “Sometimes, they don’t even know how to mop a floor. They’ll learn things like that, things they’ll need to know on the job. They’ll learn a good work ethic.”
Muellersman said the program is welcome at a time when many businesses are finding it difficult to fill jobs.
“The program helps both ways, for the students and the business,” he said.
Propst said Festus High considers the jobs the students work at for the program as paid internships.
“We would expect them (the businesses) to pay our students what they would pay any employee at their level,” he said.
“There are guidelines for working with the students regarding working hours, pay, training and observation training from Supervised Marketing Experience teachers.”
Propst said the students in the program may work more than the two hours at the end of the school day and that’s up to the students and businesses to work out.
“Our goal with the program is to help students understand their career options and to get their foot in the door for a possible career path,” he said. “The work experience is going to be invaluable to them in the future.”