It’s The Relationships
June 2026 – Why do local businesses open their doors for student tours year after year?
“We are a part of this community just like you. We want to have strong relationships with our partners. It’s important to us to educate the students and let them know of the opportunities that are available,” Sergeant Jeff Anderson, Washington State Patrol.
From opening doors and leading a site tour, an employer shaking hands with a student, asking questions and learning from one another – it’s the value of these relationships that make our communities stronger.
This summer in Chelan County several local employers offered worksite tours to student participants in a Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) workshop. SkillSource, in partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), helps prepare students for the working world. In addition to classroom time for working on essential skills like self-advocacy, building a resume, and practice with interviewing, more than two dozen students ventured out into the community to visit with these employers and to see how it all fits together in the real world.
Link Transit was the first tour stop of the week. This was the third consecutive year where Link has partnered with SkillSource to be a tour stop. Why does Link Transit offer these student tours year after year?
“We do these tours to have riders become knowledgeable on the bus rules. It benefits us, and helps increase ridership because it becomes a safe experience.” That in-person opportunity to connect and share leads to insight, like how one student noticed how riding the bus will save him money on gas, so he’s decided he’s going to do that more. Smart. These connections inspire insight and build relationships that create an impact beyond the classroom walls.
Students left another stop on the tour with their own library card. Some checked out books, others asked about the other community resources available through the library, like language courses and online tutors, and what was it even like to work at the library? There might be a few future librarians in this student group, inspired by a new-to-them world of work that they once thought was just about books, before the people at the Wenatchee Public Library said, Come on in. There’s so much more to tell you!.
“At the library, people are connected to the resources they need, which is our mission.” It’s more than a transaction of checking out a book, it’s about helping each other.
Helping each other is what hospitality careers are all about, which often begin with a part-time job bussing tables, or as an entry-level cook or host staff. Wenatchee’s Residence Inn repeatedly says yes to hosting student tours because they help students see the value in service and relationships, and to learn about work opportunities in the hospitality industry. The Wenatchee Valley gets more visitors every year, which means the hospitality industry needs relationship-oriented people to fill those roles.
“We like to do things that will benefit the community. It’s important to educate the students and let them know of the opportunities that are available.” They added that they’re currently hiring, and that part-time positions usually lead to full-time, which raised some enthusiastic eyebrows among the visiting students.
The last tour stop was located at the Washington State Patrol. In just a few years a lot of their staff will be retiring, and there will be a real need for young, determined, and relationship-oriented people to fill those critical roles. In order to grow that future talent to fill those needed positions in our community, the seeds must be planted today. “So, who here thinks they might be interested in a career like mine some day?” Hands shot up into the air. Heads nodded. Seeds were planted.
So why do businesses keep coming back, welcoming in students to tour their worksites? Because they know that in order to grow our own future workforce, and to help our communities thrive, it’s all about the relationships.
Thank you local employers for opening doors! See more photos here.
Are you an employer in North Central Washington? Please reach out! Let’s see what’s possible.
