The Importance of Business Education Partnerships

Did you know that 65% of children entering primary school will end up working in a job that does not exist today? Who of us went to school with an iPhone?  Who of us knew what an “app” was, let alone knew how to create one?  This is one of many reasons that it is vital for our business community to partner with our local educational institutions to provide valuable work-based learning opportunities and to help teach skills that are transferable to almost any work environment.

According to researchers at the U.S. Census Bureau and Harvard University, nearly six in 10 young adults live within 10 miles of where they grew up, and eight in 10 live within 100 miles.  What’s exciting about these statistics is that as we invest in today’s students, we are investing in our future workforce….students who will likely choose to live, work and play in Sioux Center and the surrounding area!

Our business community is uniquely poised to support education in providing today’s students with the skills they need to continue their education and equip them to enter the workforce at any level.

Foundational relationships are key to this work, and this is where Sioux Center has great momentum.  Many of our businesses have already built strong partnerships with area educational institutions and are prepared to do more.  And our local schools are creative and willing to think outside the box to do what is best for our students by providing them with unique and valuable learning opportunities.

If you are a business who is already partnering with our area educational institutions, thank you and we encourage you to continue to think creatively.  If your business has not yet taken this step, there are many opportunities and levels of commitment in which you can partner.

Strong partnerships are what will solve these challenges and provide incredible opportunities for today’s students!