SAN ANTONIO — Tuesday marked the city and county-wide SA Works Job Shadow Day, when students from across the area made visits to local employers to learn more about available career opportunities, and to spark interest in fields they may not have considered before.
"It give students the opportunity to see firsthand what the workplace looks like," said Amir Samandi, partnerships director and mentorship coordinator for CAST Tech High School.
The school offers technology and business-specific training. H-E-B has already been involved with CAST schools, making donations and keeping in contact to help schools provide training that prepares graduating students for industry standards.
"It really helps the industry have input on what these students really need to learn to be successful in a career once they graduation from high school," said Katie Chain, H-E-B education program manager.
On Tuesday H-E-B Director of Leadership Development Cesar Carter led a presentation on forming skills that will help with future careers. He also shared details on potential career opportunities outside of roles within grocery stories, which are still crucial positions.
"We have a manufacturing division, we have transportation, we have warehouses and then we have a corporate team," Carter said.
Students like Amanda Olvera said the job shadow experience opened her eyes to more potential opportunities, including roles in leadership and graphic design.
"To me, H-E-B was just a grocery store and, to me, coming here and finding out it’s deeper than that," Olvera said.