Bayer cuts $10K check to help ISU’s YourFIT program
Bayer presented a $10,000 check to the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber Foundation Monday, a move that will aid ISU’s YourFIT program.
YourFIT (Future in Technology), now in its fourth year, aims to help high school students realize there are high tech, high wage jobs available in the region.
Dean of the College of Technology, Scott Rasmussen, said he loves to see the reactions of the kids at the expos.
“It was just exciting to see these students come in and say ‘wow, I had no idea that I could make 80,000 as a welder, after going to school for just two years.’ And so, as the students start getting the vision, they get really excited about the career opportunities that are available,” he explained.
In addition to helping local students, the program also helps local businesses by creating a workforce for them.
“This is a kind of a standard retention and expansion program where we look to attract more talent, more workforce, for specific companies, in this instance, that have high wage, high tech, high demand jobs,” Bannock Development President and CEO John Regetz said.
Programs like YourFIT exist all over the state and Regetz said they actually help recruit other businesses to the area by showing them the way they handle the ones that are already here.
“It tells businesses that are looking at moving into the community that we support our employers,” he said. “And that we work to help them be successful in whatever way we can.”
The check will help keep the program running, going towards things like scholarships for students, transportation costs and even the gifts the organizers use to attract kids to the events.
Dean Rasmussen said he was glad that the College of Technology has gotten to take part in these events and looks forward to doing it in the future.
“Many of the training programs that are going to produce the workforce of tomorrow are located in the College of Technology and we’re producing graduates that go into these high tech, high demand, high wage careers,” he said, “so we’re very excited to be a part of it.”
