Students give tips for attracting talent to area

When it comes to inspiring the next generation, who could give better advice than the next generation themselves?

That was the prevailing line of thought during the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's monthly First Friday Coffee event Friday, Jan. 5.

Eight students were invited to a roundtable discussion, two each from four area high schools.

Maggie Piper, the chamber's marketing and communications specialist, hosted the discussion, asking the students questions about their career aspirations and what groups in the region can do to help young people with their goals.

Participating high school students were Skye Livesay and Avery Criblez from Cape Central; Hanssell Padilla-Varela and Maeson Renshaw from Saxony Lutheran; Lilly Stockard and Lucas Bonnegent from Jackson Senior; and Vita Galati and Jake Coalter from Notre Dame Regional.

A main point of the conversation was brainstorming ways for groups to help students with their careers. Job shadowing, internships and career fairs were all seen as positive ways for students to learn about the jobs available in the region.

Coalter said if more businesses tried to attract student workers in high school, it would make it easier for them to figure out what kinds of careers they want to pursue.

Other students felt the same way.

"I feel like if we had a program of a sort where we could partner with local businesses ... maybe something that directly connects you with a business, that way you could schedule a shadowing or even volunteering for the business," Galati suggested.

In some cases, job shadowing helped students decide which careers weren't their cup of tea.

As to what else influences them, students said their family, friends and the general amenities of the area help them decide whether they want to choose a career close to home or somewhere else.

"The thing Cape has running for it is it's s very relaxing town," Bonnegent said. "Not much happens. It's a very friendly place to be."

It was a sentiment shared among most of the students. While the Cape Girardeau region is bringing in more businesses, they said there isn't much for teenagers to do outside of school.

"We all like it but it's pretty boring ... the most we can do on the weekend is go to Walmart or walk around Target," Padilla-Varela said. "Definitely to get people to stay or get more people to come we need places where teens can hang out."

While the area has more opportunities than smaller towns, the students said it lacks the attractions of larger cities or suburbs.

To convince more young people to stay in the area, they said there needs to be more entertainment options and activities accessible to them.