The Center’s Great Jobs project participates in home education conference

The Great Jobs project participated in a home education conference attended by over 700 parents from May 31 to June 1. The annual Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair was held at the University of St. Thomas and is one of the largest Catholic homeschooling conferences in the country. Attendees came from all across Minnesota and from out-out-state to learn about homeschooling curricula and hear presentations on various education-related topics.

The Great Jobs project facilitated a panel discussion featuring Minnesotans who chose career paths that do not require the traditional four-year degree route, which the Center was asked to focus on, as it is a topic of great interest to home education parents.

I had the honor of moderating the discussion, and the panelists focused on debunking the myths and stereotypes associated with non-traditional careers and exploring how parents can support their children interested in jobs that don’t require a four-year degree. Panelists also shared why they chose the career path they did and how they have found the work meaningful and important.

Audience Q&A was sprinkled throughout the discussion to engage parents and give them the opportunity to ask pressing questions they had on the topic. Parents were most interested in learning about the variety of alternative education paths the panelists took (two-year degrees, certificates, etc.) and how the panelists overcame the stigmas associated with jobs requiring technical skills.

Panelists included the Center’s Mitch Pearlstein (who shared his knowledge on the subject matter based on his research), Amanda Phillips, a carpenter instructor at the St. Paul Carpenter’s Training Center, Dan McGee, a direct sales engineer for Manitowoc Tool and Manufacturing, and Robert McLain, an HVAC service technician.

The panel discussion was well received by attendees and concluded with parents asking the Center to come back and share more on the great jobs available to young Minnesotans interested in working with both their hands and their minds.