GREENFIELD — Billy Kise wasn’t too enthused about his future work prospects going into his junior year in high school.
Then he got invited to pursue a work ethics certificate as part of a governor’s incentive, and his future started coming into focus.
The program originated in Clark County and has spread to more than 180 schools throughout Indiana. It works by encouraging students to develop those “soft skills” employers are looking for — like dependability, punctuality and positivity — then connects employers and students seeing jobs after graduation.
In some cases, earning a work ethics certificate guarantees students an interview with certain employers. But it’s up to them to succeed at the interview and get the job.
After graduating from Greenfield-Central High School in 2018, Kise landed one of those guaranteed interviews with Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, not far from his Greenfield home. He also landed the job, and has spent the past two years happily employed there as a pharmacy technician, filling prescriptions for health-care facilities throughout the state.
His job satisfaction has far outweighed the expectations he had as a high school student, when he thought he’d end up working an entry-level job at a fast food restaurant or retail store.
“Going for the certificate was a great investment for me,” said Kise, 21. “Without that I probably would have just started working at Walmart or something. There’s been a lot of experiences just from getting the work ethics certificate that I wouldn’t have otherwise had,” he said.
As a work ethics certificate recipient, Kise was invited to a chamber of commerce dinner, was asked to speak before the Greenfield-Central School Board and was also interviewed by the high school TV station.
The work ethics certificate not only made him aware of the job opening but guaranteed him an interview, putting him ahead of other applicants.
It also drove him to learn those “soft skills” employers crave in their employees, like being punctual, responsible and ambitious.
“I wasn’t going to college right out of high school, so the certificate made that next step after high school easier. For me it gave me a big step forward,” Kise said. “It pushed me to have a goal of getting something outside of just a diploma.”
The community service component of the work ethics certificate prompted Kise to work a number of hours at local nonprofits, like the local soup kitchen, an equine therapy program and the county’s animal management shelter.
“I would have done (community service) otherwise, but the certificate encouraged me to do it even more in the hopes of building up my resume,” he said.
Kise said he loves his job, and he wouldn’t be nearly as content if he had ended up working in retail or fast food.
It’s also benefited his bank account. “I know I’m making more now than I would be if I had gone to work at someplace like McDonald’s or Walmart,” he said.
The work ethics program is a win-win for both employers and students, said Retta Livengood, president of the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Employers are looking for well-rounded individuals, which is what the work ethics certificate encourages students to become,” she said.
Livengood was a Greenfield-Central School Board member when the work ethics certificate program was first suggested by the high school’s dean of students, Nathan Bruck.
“I sit in so many meetings where employers are talking about workforce, and about how many people are not ready to enter the job market. The work ethics certificate is a really good thing for those of our students who aren’t going directly to college or trade school or the military, to help them get prepared for getting a job right after high school,” she said.
The program can teach students those necessary soft skills employers are looking for, said Livengood, especially to those kids who might not learn them otherwise.
“If you think about it, not all students have been exposed to learning the proper way to behave in the workplace — that you show up on time, you come prepared, you take good notes, and ask questions if you don’t understand. A lot of times it’s the parents modeling that behavior, but there are a lot of kids without that influence,” she said.
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Work ethics program challenges students to excel and also positions them for the workplace. Page A7
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