More Mentors Needed to Bridge Gap Between Technology and Workforce

By Chris Semonelli, Middletown Town Council President

The rate at which knowledge is expanding provides a challenging environment for our students and teachers today; An example of this is well represented at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY which is among the most watched YouTube videos. 

In fact, as described in a recent New York Times Magazine article, technology will change faster than we can teach it.  This accelerating technological pace could mean a student's eventual adult career does not yet exist, and of course, that unknown career cannot be prepared for in school.

One way to bridge this gap is to provide a better link between County businesses and our existing school systems to prepare students with transferable and futuristic skills. The Newport County Mentor/Co-Op Group was formed over a year ago to meet this challenge.

This group is comprised of representatives from Rogers High School, Middletown High School, Portsmouth High School, Tiverton High School, The MET School, local Businesses, elected officials, and representatives from the Naval Base and Salve Regina University. Officials from various state agencies have also attended our meetings.

The goal of the Newport County Mentor/Co-Op Group is to provide career exploration opportunities for our high school students, by linking them with our local businesses. The group meets monthly and the meetings rotate from school to school.

The Newport County Mentor/Co-Op Group's plan is to develop a curriculum to train students with skills  to enter the work force and to provide immediate results for participating businesses. This also allows students an opportunity to explore career opportunities. Students with this type of focus are much more motivated and productive.

Some communication with local businesses will be through a website being designed by local students. The web site will be modeled after a similar successful website and program in Pennsylvania, their web site is:  www.theregionalinternshipcenter.org. Other contacts are through our growing network of concerned professionals.

In the interim, a monthly Career Exploration Series will be conducted rotating from school to school. Business representatives will be invited into local schools to describe their organizations  and give students a synopsis of various career opportunities across the County.

The first Career Exploration Seminar was led by Sheila Mullowney of the Newport Daily News and held on September 15 at Middletown High School. The second seminar will be held at Portsmouth High School and will be conducted by Newport Collaborative Architects on October 13 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The third seminar is scheduled for November 17 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. and will be sponsored by and presented at the Newport Hospital.

If you would like to participate in the Monthly Career Exploration Series, please contact us at ChrisSemo@aol.com or 401-864-0333

Please help us bridge the growing knowledge gap our students are facing and assist us in preparing them for the future. Together, we can aid in the  development of  a workforce for the next millennium.

Chris Semonelli, Middletown

Editor's Notes: Christopher T. Semonelli serves as Middletown Town Council President and currently is seeking re-election.

The next seminar will be held at Portsmouth High School and will be conducted by Newport Collaborative Architects on October 13 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.