Cargill Hosts Local High School Kids at Wayzata Headquarters

More than 100 high school students from across the Twin Cities got a taste of what their future careers could look like last week—in a speed-dating sort of fashion.

A program from BestPrep, called Classroom Plus, offers Career Day events, which bring students into major local corporations where they are exposed to a variety of career fields and gain an awareness of professional skill building.

On Tuesday, April 16, students from Armstrong, Cooper, Hopkins and Roseville High Schools attended a program hosted by Cargill at its headquarters in Wayzata.

“Through Best Prep’s Classroom Plus Career Days there is an incredible and unique partnership with companies such as Cargill, Medtronic and U.S. Bank," said Bob Kaitz, President and CEO of BestPrep. "The Career Day events allow students to hear firsthand about an array of career fields from employees at these major corporations.” 

During each Classroom Plus Career Day, students visit stations where they are able to ask questions of professionals representing areas such as marketing, sales, human resources and law. The rotations at each station last approximately 20 minutes and give students a chance to experience the business world first-hand by asking questions about topics such as schooling and training required, as well as salary range expectations.

At the end of the program, students share their perceptions of what they think it would take to be successful in each of those career fields.

“Cargill has a long history of supporting college readiness programs and career centers in Twin Cities’ schools,” said Todd Schnobrich, vice president of information technology at Cargill and BestPrep board member. “Building on that support, BestPrep’s Career Day provides value by exposing local students to a variety of real career options that they might not otherwise know exist.”  

BestPrep’s mission is to prepare Minnesota students in the areas of business, career and financial literacy through experiential education. The Classroom Plus program allows educators to collaborate with business professionals by bringing career skills directly to students. This hands-on program bridges the gap between lessons learned in the classroom and skills utilized in the workplace, and includes mock interviews and workplace tours.