River Valley Tech Center works with Okemo

It takes a carefully crafted team of more than 1,200
employees to keep the resort operations at Okemo Mountain running smoothly
12 months out of the year. A dedicated workforce of professionals who are
experts in their fields fill a variety of positions that include indoors
and outdoors, full-time and part-time.
Okemo's Vermont student workforce is an integral part of the overall operation. But, when the local school systems do not share the same
holiday vacation week as the rest of the eastern states, Okemo's Human
Resources team "kicks into action" to fill those much-needed positions.
Remo Paul, Co-op Coordinator at the River Valley Technical Center
worked closely with Crystal Stokarski, Okemo's Director of Human Resources
to develop a program where students could work in a number of service
related positions at Okemo and gain experience while on the job. These
experiences were directly linked to their course of study at the River
Valley Technical Center.
"This was truly a win-win situation for everyone," commented Remo
Paul. "Our Technical Center students were able to receive credit for
their work-based experience in the resort industry, and we were able to
assist Okemo during their busy season."
For Okemo, it's all about exceeding guest expectations. This is
done
by hiring staff members with a positive, professional, guest oriented
attitude. Students from the Business, Human Services and Culinary Programs
at the River Valley Technical Center worked closely with Okemo supervisors
to provide the best possible experience for visiting guests. Students
learned that the development and delivery of the product stimulates a
personal sense of pride and fulfillment in being a part of a successful
business.
"The vacation week was a tremendous success from both the student's
and Okemo's perspective," commented Crystal Stokarski. "Some students
plan to return to Okemo to work during their holiday break continuing
their work-based learning experience."