How To Create Company Tours that Students Will Actually be Excited About

Creating opportunities for students to visit local businesses can be a great way to spark their thinking about what kind of career may interest them or whether a specific field might be a good fit. Giving students first-hand experiences to see a working company in action prompts them to more deeply think about different kinds of job structures or environments, and consider how their preferences, interests, and even dislikes align to these various possibilities. 

These company tours–especially for traditional, professional offices–can sometimes be bland and unengaging for a typical high school student. They often put the student in a strictly observational or listening role rather than offering interactive activities. And, the experience is often limited to the duration of the field trip–rather than extending it beyond for further engagement. 

CTE educators and counselors can find ways to break this mold and plan company tours that students are excited to participate in and that will have a lasting impact well after the experience. Use the tips below to partner with local businesses to build company tours that will inspire meaningful career exploration, broaden what students see as possible, and get them excited for their life beyond high school. ‍

1. Use your students as the starting point

‍Before planning company tours, consider surveying students on their interests, strengths, and hopes for the future. Use these responses to plan tours or visits that may align with these goals, talents, or preferences. Try to use this exercise to go beyond the specific careers students think they want to pursue and identify different variables that impact career exploration and choices. For instance, you might include questions that differentiate between various work environments and structures (an office setting versus hands-on work), community problems students want to help solve, or extracurricular talents and hobbies that might be relevant. You might also consider connecting one or two specific students with career tour opportunities that are a good fit for them, but might not be relevant or interesting to a larger group. Building the tours around the students, rather than vice versa, increases the likelihood that students will find meaning and inspiration in the experience. 

2. Look beyond the standard career tours of the past.

‍With the rapid maturation of technology, the global economic landscape is constantly changing. Entire sectors that did not exist just a few decades ago now command billions of dollars in economic activity. We cannot anticipate many of the careers that current students will participate in during their adult life. As you plan company tours, think outside of the box and consider emerging fields–such as video game design, artificial intelligence, big data or intersections between technology and other industries such as healthcare or security. You might even consider doing some virtual visits to ensure students have access to professionals in these fields. This both helps to engage students around topics that are likely more interesting to them and give them perspectives on fields and workplace environments that will be options for them in the future. 

3. Make the experience interactive

‍Students learn better when they can actively participate in an experience. Collaborate with companies to create an experience that goes beyond a simple tour or talk and works to engage students more deeply during the visit. You might partner one or two students to shadow a current employee throughout the day including meetings, hands-on work, and even lunch breaks to get a fuller picture of a workday. In a veterinary setting, you might allow students to listen to an animal’s heartbeat or watch an actual procedure. If you visit a mechanic or auto shop, students might learn how to change a tire or check the oil. Creating these more immersive experiences serves to pique students’ interest and provide more realistic opportunities to explore a specific field. 

4. Partner with younger, more relatable professionals

‍Oftentimes, when visiting an office, students hear from the head of a company or division–individuals who have been in a career for many years and are long-removed from high school. Consider including time with more mid-level professionals who students can better relate to during these tours and who have more recently been in the same position as the students. The advice from these younger professionals is often more relevant as they have a more current understanding of the interim steps and decision points between high school and their career. Doing this helps students to envision a particular career aspiration as possible when they can see elements of themselves in these role models. 

‍5. Extend the experience beyond the tour

‍In order to amplify the impact of the company tour, it is critical to not limit the experience to the few hours students are on site. Building in opportunities before and after the trip for students to brainstorm questions they have, reflect on the experience, and follow up to connect with some of the professionals they meet ensures that company tours become a vital part of the career exploration process. And, by connecting students with different businesses over time, schools can create true industry partnerships that benefit students, the school district, and local businesses–fortifying workforce development efforts for years to come.