Business Leaders Teach Livingston Parish Students Career Skills

The Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce hosted the third Student Business Conference on Friday, Nov. 16 at Carter Plantation. Juniors from Doyle, Holden and Maurepas high schools learned real-world career skills in the areas of ethics, communication and teamwork from local business leaders.

Students were divided into three groups and rotated through classes taught by business professionals from the Chamber’s Business & Education Committee and other volunteers from the business community. Sessions included lessons on preparing for a job interview, navigating ethical dilemmas and accomplishing goals in a team.
 
Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, April Wehrs said that the conference not only benefits students but also the business community. “Business leaders have been challenged by job applicants lacking soft skills. Equipping these students with those skills will help them in their future careers and help businesses fill their personnel gaps.”
 
The half-day conference concluded with an open forum panel with business professionals representing a wide variety of industries including entrepreneurial, medicine, law, non-profits and more. Students took advantage of an opportunity to ask the panelists about how to prepare for their prospective careers and the types of challenges and opportunities they may have in their career.
 
Livingston Parish Schools Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Staci Polozola, said that the students learned a lot from the event. “They were especially engaged with the panel of professionals. They asked insightful questions that are going to help them prepare to move into the next step of their career paths.”
 
The event was sponsored by Neighbors Federal Credit Union. Twenty members of the Business and Education Committee and the business community volunteered to prepare and run the event. Nine business professionals also donated their time to sit on the panel. Shannon Bernard, Business and Education Committee Chair, said she is grateful for the hard work of the committee. “Our committee members invest time
and hard work into providing a unique opportunity for local students. I am very grateful to each of them for their involvement.”