What if you could tackle a major social issue and develop employees of the future at the same time? Henry Poor Lumber in Lafayette, Indiana has done just that with its work-study program designed to help at-risk high school students. The company earlier this year opened up a new training facility in its wood packaging plant.
Steve Smith, operations manager for the Henry Poor Lumber wood packaging plant, said, “It’s a win-win situation for everybody. Students who have not fared well in traditional schools get their education. The company can help the community and secure some additional labor. The Crossing secures state funding to cover the cost of the program and provides the teacher.”
Currently, the Henry Poor program has 12 students but it can take 14 or more. The high school students spend half of their time working in the plant and the other half taking classes. They earn work-study credit for their work while learning valuable work skills in a real production environment. Six students work in the shop in the morning while the others take classes. Then, they switch at lunch time.
Henry Poor Lumber pays for the job trainer who acts as a work supervisor for the students who work in the resaw operation preparing pallet lumber. Public education pays for the tutor who works with the students who take online classes at their own pace.
The program is administered by The Crossing School of Business and Entrepreneurship (https://www.crossingeducation.com/), a faith-based program designed to help at-risk youth obtain an education and prepare for the future. This innovative program has enabled 540 students to earn their high school diploma over the last four years while working in a variety of industries. Currently, the program operates 17 campuses.
Students have worked at Henry Poor for the last three years. The program runs through the year with a six-week summer break, a two-week fall break, a two-week Christmas break and a two-week spring break. Students run the resaw operation turning 1x6s into pallet boards. They cut lumber to length and run it through a resaw. Younger workers under 16 years of age, do other tasks that don’t involve operating machinery, such as stacking lumber.
Besides helping the students, the program provides valuable labor for the sponsoring company as well as the potential for hiring them long-term when they graduate. Most students don’t stick around after graduating but some do, and the good thing is they are already trained.
Smith explained, “We’ve got kids that if they’re expelled from public school, what are they going to do? They’re not old enough to get a job. They’re going to be out in the middle of the streets getting into trouble, so it’s getting these kids off the streets and getting them back into school, getting them the education. They’re learning a trade that they can use. They’re also building a work portfolio and experience.”
Why would a company want to do this kind of program? Obviously, it may have some tax benefits depending on your situation. Plus, it is a great way to help the community while obtaining a steady labor pool for some operations. You may not be able to get as much work as you can out of a grown adult. But the program has worked for Henry Poor Lumber while benefitting the community and the students themselves. When the company had its ribbon cutting earlier this summer, the event attracted media attention as well as some local politicians.
Looking at specifics of how the program works, the school actually carries the insurance on the students. They get an education exception because you can’t hire kids under 18, obviously, to work in a production area so you get this education exemption.
Smith said, “I just don’t see any drawbacks other than the scheduling is a little bit difficult with them taking their breaks and all that stuff, but the way I’ve set it up where they’re just my suppliers. I’m like, ‘Hey, you guys are going to be gone. I’m going to need a couple truckloads of these cut and banged up to get me by until you guys come back.’”
Sometimes other employees have to run the resaw to produce more material when the students are out on a break.
Currently, Henry Poor has two female students in the program. This hasn’t raised any problems because the full-time employees were told what is expected and were warned to treat the students professionally. Plus, the students are segregated off in their own area so they don’t have that much interaction with some other areas of the production workshop.
In order to complete the program, students must have a C or better in school work.
Earlier this year in an interview, Tom Andrew, co-owner of Henry Poor Lumber was interviewed by the Lafayette Journal & Courier about the program. He commented that the new satellite operation was not only a good opportunity to give back and get involved in the community, but to get a better visual on the next generation of upcoming skilled workers.
“Through this, we are able plug into the people who will be looking for work when they graduate; seeing them operate in the field,” Andrew said. “Labor is hard to find right now, but through this satellite campus we are able to help train students and get them ready for a real job.”
This work-study approach is another example of finding innovative ways to help the community and pallet companies solve one of their greatest challenges – finding reliable labor.
