2021 Special Ambassador Award Honoree

With many skilled tradespeople nearing retirement age, it is an opportune time for students in technical high schools to be heading into the job market. And companies that develop a pathway for these students are ahead of the game.

In 2018, Dan Stroot, a senior manager at Boeing, realized this and reached out to SSD’s technical high schools to develop a program that would establish a pathway into the company for structural and composite assembly mechanics. Since then, several students have already moved on from technical high school student to Boeing employee thanks to the Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program. For this partnership, the Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program was honored with a 2021 Special Ambassador Award.

"The partnership has not only created a viable career pathway for students, but has also enabled them to make a more informed decision as they consider their post-secondary plans," said Sally Difani, SSD's administrator of partnerships and nominator for the award.

The Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program is located at the St. Louis Community College (STLCC) Center for Workforce Innovation and involves five activities per year for seniors at SSD's North Technical High School and South Technical High School who are interested in learning more about a pathway to employment in this field. First, students attend an informational presentation. After that, students are exposed to two hands-on, in-school demonstrations, an evening family event at the STLCC Center for Workforce Innovation, and a field trip where students can observe and interact with mechanics engaged in the work about which they are learning.

The program has shown "an unconditional commitment in terms of time and resources to execute this program at both North and South Tech," Difani said. "Dan has always conveyed an attitude that he and his team will do whatever it takes to include all of the students who are interested and to ensure that they can participate in hands-on activities that allow them to gain direct insight into the career."