Being in high school is tough today. It is a time of growth, fostering relationships, fitting in, and figuring out what you want to be when you grow up. Whirlpool Corporation wants to help local high school students with all of these goals.
Local high schoolers in Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph, Michigan have the advantage of the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world being in their backyard, but the majority of high schoolers do not have a good understanding of what careers are available, nor what Whirlpool Corporation is all about. “We are here to bridge that gap and give opportunities for student to grow at Whirlpool,” said program manager, Chris Chisek.
The Young Future Leaders in Training program, which is being facilitated by the Whirlpool Women’s Network Education Pillar in partnership with the Engineering High School Internship Team, wants to help high schoolers identify possible careers while they are still in high school. The first step in exploring careers is to understand what you enjoy and what you’re good at doing.
Internships are temporary, supervised assignments designed to give students practical job training. They help students determine what career path they would like to pursue, which is invaluable to determine before they head down a college career path and have to adjust later. According to the Education Advisory Board, as many as eighty-percent of students will switch majors during college. The more we can provide students with hands-on learning experience, the better they will be prepared to be successful in the work force.
Tyler Brant is a prime example of utilizing his work experience at Whirlpool Corporation to determine his career path. Tyler joined us last summer in the Engineering internship program. Through his experience of building Vessi prototypes, he found a passion for the business facets of product development. Tyler graduated a few weeks ago from Watervliet High School, and this summer he will return to Whirlpool Corporation to work for the Laundry Launch Execution team, where he will assist the team in creating future laundry product plans.
Forty-two high school students participating in the internship program started at Whirlpool Corporation on June 12th. The program lasts for 8 weeks. Thirty-one of the students will work in the engineering field and eleven will work in the business areas.
“The Women’s Network piloted four students in the business area last summer and we were blown away with the accomplishments of the students and the value they brought to Whirlpool in a few short weeks,” said Dawn C. Smith, Senior Licensing Category Manager. “Based on the successful pilot and the survey results from Whirlpool employees, our hope is to continue to broaden the program year after year.”
“This program is a win/win for Whirlpool Corporation and for the students. We have an opportunity to pay it forward and mentor the students, while they provide invaluable insights into our product plans,” offered Ellen Dutton, Product Marketing Manager. “The purpose of thinking about career paths early is so that when you do enter the workforce, you wake up every morning looking forward to going to work. If job shadowing gives you a taste of what an occupation is like, imagine how helpful getting hands-on experience could be.”
To learn more about U.S. student programs and internships at Whirlpool Corporation, visit jobs.whirlpool.com.
Source: Whirlpool Corporation 
Mike Lewis
Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.
For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.
Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!
