Shreveport, La., Public Works Department reaches out to the next generation with career pop-ups
In order to educate children about careers in public works, the city of Shreveport, La., is reaching out to local schools. The goal is to encourage students to look at all the opportunities available to them, with or without a college degree, and inform them of the opportunities available within the city government, particularly within the public works department.
Teaching students about these city careers helps the city, community and the students.
“We launched this initiative because we saw a gap between students graduating high school and understanding the opportunities available to them,” Jarvis Morgan, director of public works, explained. “Especially those that don’t require a four-year degree. Public works is full of meaningful, well-paying careers that build and sustain our community. Reaching out to high school students is important not just to strengthen our future workforce, but to also give students direction, purpose and a sense of pride in serving the city they live in. For the department, it’s about preparing the next generation of skilled workers. For the community, it’s about seeing more young people stay, grow and contribute right here in Shreveport.”
In order to connect with these students, the public works department chose to do a career pop-up event at a local high school. The idea for the event came from Morgan and some brainstorming within his department.
“Honestly, it started from a personal place,” he said. “I wanted to give back to the community I grew up in. I know how important it is for young people to see successful professionals who look like them and came from the same neighborhoods. From there, we started brainstorming how to make public works more visible to youth and the idea of bringing careers to the students just made sense.” The idea helps students feel more connected to city officials and the city as a whole.
The first career pop-up event was held at Woodlawn High School. Here, the department set up interactive displays with some of the department’s equipment, handed out informational materials about various job roles and had team employees from various divisions, such as solid waste, traffic engineering and streets and drainage, there to talk with students and answer questions.
“The pop-up at Woodlawn was a great success,” Morgan described. “We didn’t do formal speeches; instead, we focused on real conversations. Students asked questions, tried on safety gear and got a real look at the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the city running.”
The event received an even greater response than expected. Many students were engaged, and both surprised and excited to learn of the vast array of career paths that existed simply within the public works department. Students even asked questions about potential internships and summer job opportunities.
“It showed us that there’s a real interest,” Morgan emphasized. “We just have to do a better job of reaching them. The biggest strength was the personal engagement. It’s one thing to hear about a job. It’s another to shake hands with someone who does it every day.”
The greatest challenge in setting up the pop-up was coordinating schedules with department employees and the school, getting equipment to the campus and making sure the employees were communicating with the students at a level they could understand and relate to.
With the success of the Woodlawn pop-up, there are more pop-ups being planned. Visits to Booker T. Washington, Huntington and Green Oaks schools are being planned. These career pop-ups will follow the same model as the first one, with a few possible changes based on feedback. Feedback included the addition of more hands-on demonstrations to see what a career is like as well as testimonials from younger employees that may connect more with the students.
Ideas for future ways to encourage students to consider the opportunities available within the public works department are underway. These include the creation of internships and job shadowing opportunities, partnering with local trade programs, and launching a short video series, which would highlight a day in the life of various team members. The long-term goal is to create a formal pipeline program between city employment departments and local schools.
No1: Shreveport, La., Public Works Department held a career pop-up event at Woodlawn High School. The goal was to both prepare the next generation of workers and give back to the community by showing them professionals that help the city and come from the same neighborhoods they are from. (Photo provided by the Shreveport, La., Public Works Department) No2: For the pop-up career event, team employees from various divisions, such as solid waste, traffic engineering and streets and drainage, were present to provide information to students and answer questions. There were also interactive displays with public works equipment and gear. The main focus was on connecting with the students one-on-one. (Photo provided by the Shreveport, La., Public Works Department) 
No3: Future considerations for students include internships and job shadowing opportunities. The city is planning to create a short video series highlighting a day in the life of various team members in the public works department. (Photo provided by the Shreveport, La., Public Works Department) 
No4: Further career pop-ups are planned at three other schools throughout the city. The public works department received feedback from the first event and plans to try to include more hands-on demonstrations from city employees as well as testimonials from younger employees who are more relatable to high school students. (Photo provided by the Shreveport, La., Public Works Department)
