Job shadowing is a unique experience in which a student “shadows” a professional at their place of work. I personally like to think of it as job shopping. It allows individuals to “try on” a job for a day, much like a new pair of jeans, and decide if it’s truly “a fit.” Choosing a career path while you’re in high school or college is a big decision and one we want our young people to succeed at.

Businesses and schools participating in Job Shadow Week are providing students the opportunity to not only try out a career, but exposing them to the opportunities available to them right here in North Dakota. Students have been encouraged to job shadow in any business in North Dakota including any of North Dakota’s targeted industries: energy, advanced manufacturing, value-added agriculture, tourism, or technology-based businesses.

“Businesses can learn about the benefits of opening their doors to our youth – their future employees and customers,” said Commissioner Al Anderson, North Dakota Department of Commerce. “This helps build career connections between young educated North Dakotans who are looking for good careers and businesses looking for future workforce solutions. It’s a win-win situation.”

All in all, we think it is a great way to help youth better understand and make smart choices about their career path and a future in North Dakota. If you want to virtually participate in Job Shadow Week, check out our online job shadows at Career Conversations on NDYouthForward.com.

We support North Dakota Tourism’s efforts to promote our state’s nightlife and fun atmosphere and think their response is worth reading: http://legendarynd.wordpress.com/

Sometimes even the best, well-intentioned things can be misinterpreted. It is the beauty of us all having our own opinion. As an Ambassador of North Dakota, whether you like the ad or not, I know we can all agree that North Dakota is still a fun place to have an evening out.

Video spots can be found at: http://www.ndtourism.com/about/advertisements/north-dakota-legendary/ 

Print ads can be found at:  http://www.ndtourism.com/about/advertisements/north-dakota-advertisements/

 Or check out the digital version of the travel guides … they are really cool!  Travel Guide: http://www.ndtourism.com/about/digital-travel-guide/ and Hunting & Fishing Guide: http://www.ndtourism.com/about/digital-hunting-guide/.

Christmas at the North Dakota State Capitol.

It’s been an amazing December and now we are just a few short hours from the holidays. North Dakota Ambassadors have many things that remind them of the holidays. There are sights, sounds, smells and memories that come rushing back for all of us when we think of our North Dakota Christmases.

With that in mind, we’re curious if you can help us finish an important sentence this year. Please leave your memories and Christmas stories in the comments below for all of us to enjoy and remember. Oh, and most importantly, holiday blessings and joys to each of you! Thanks for making North Dakota a great place to live, play and work!

You know it’s a North Dakota Christmas when … ____________________________.

Moonlight Madness and Fish Fry

Cavalier

December 2

Masons will serve their fantastic fish at 4:30. There is fun for the whole family and stores will be offering snacks and specials. Join in the fun and get some of your Christmas shopping done while you stroll downtown Cavalier. www.ndtourism.com/whatdo/events/festival-details.asp?AID=4214; 701-265-8898.

Sanders Family Christmas

New Rockford

December 2-24

Sit back and enjoy the hilarious Yule tide stories while laughing, clapping and singing along with bluegrass Christmas favorites in this sequel to the ever popular New York hit Smoke on the Mountain. Shows begin nightly at 7:30 with two performances on Sunday. www.dprca.com/; 701-947-2174

16^th annual Medora’s Old Fashioned Cowboy Christmas

Medora

December 2-4

Cowboys and cowgirls of all ages come together for the 16^th annual event. Activities include a veterans memorial service, wreath ceremony and parade of lights, Charlie’s Ghost Story – an original Medora production, kids games, sleigh and hay rides, cowboy snow sculpting, musical entertainment, eats on the street, cowboy poetry and fireworks display. www.medorandchamber.com/; 701-623-4910.

Christmas on the Prairie

Fargo

December 3

This annual event at Bonanzaville shares the pioneer Christmas traditions of music, crafts and good cheer. Highlights include sleigh rides, a silent auction, Christmas carolers, a chili feed and lots of activities for the kids. The event is from 1:00-7:00. www.bonanzaville.com/; 701-282-2822

Dakota Air: The Radio Show – The Christmas Show

Fargo

December 3

Dakota Air will have two Christmas shows at the Fargo Theatre, with the 1 p.m. performance for kids featuring sing-alongs and original stories. The second show at 7 p.m. will be a unique Christmas performance in old-fashioned radio-show format featuring “Darin Henze & Friends,” Dakota Harmony Men’s Chorus and Harley Sommerfeld. www.dakotaairtheradioshow.com; 1-800-514-3849

Old Fashioned Christmas

Drayton

December 3

Head to Drayton where the entire community prepares for the Christmas season with a live nativity, sleigh rides, Tree of Light Memorial, Souper Supper, music and merchant promotions. www.draytonnd.com; 701-454-3434

Santa Fly-In

Fargo

December 3, 10, and 17

Santa will fly in to visit with children and their families at the Fargo Air Museum, and his elves will be on hand to give tours. Santa’s arrival time is noon. www.fargoairmuseum.org; 701-293-8043.

2011 State Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Bismarck

December 5

Join Governor Jack Dalrymple and First Lady Betsy Dalrymple in the Memorial Hall of the Capitol Building at 5 p.m. for the lighting of the state Christmas tree. An “Angel” theme was chosen to offer sincere thanks to those “angels” who helped during this year’s statewide floods. Entertainment provided by Joel Gilbertson, Central Dakota Children’s Choir and Suzuki Strings. www.nd.gov/arts/; 701-328-7590

The Nutcracker

Bismarck

December 9-11

Join Northern Plains Dance on an enchanted journey with Clara and her Nutcracker prince on a magical night long, long ago. This Christmas classic delights audiences young and old. www.northernplainsdance.org/; 701-530-0986.

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

Hankinson, Enderlin, Harvey, Minot, Carpio

December 15-16

Lighted Canadian Pacific Train rolls through North Dakota with stops in several North Dakota towns. On-board musical entertainment at each stop. The train’s planned stops are as follows: December 15 – Hankinson 6:45 p.m. and Enderlin 9:30 p.m., December 16 – Harvey 4:15 p.m., Minot 7:15 p.m., and Carpio at 9:10 p.m. Exact locations can be found at www.cpr.ca/EN/IN-YOUR-COMMUNITY/HOLIDAY-TRAIN/Pages/default.aspx.

Lori Line and her Fab Five

December 17: Grand Forks

December 18: Fargo

December 19: Minot

December 20: Bismarck

Enjoy this traditional holiday show that invites audience participation with the theme, “Christmas Bells are Ringing,” which promises to please both old and new Lorie Line fans alike. www.lorieline.com; 800-801-5463

Winter Olympics

Cross Ranch State Park, Center

December 31

Take winter to the extreme and participate in Cross Ranch’s extreme outdoor Winter Olympics.  Competitive events to include snow volleyball, tug of war, and cross country ski/snow shoe relays. Open to teams of four. Equipment provided. www.parkrec.nd.gov; 701-328-5357

Instead I’m returning to the North Dakota snow of my childhood. The kind that brings rampant excitement and frankly, abject disappointment when the weather man says “snow tonight” and you wake up to find none.

To often, North Dakota gets saddled with the it’s “cold and snowy,” like it is a bad thing. Honestly, it isn’t bad at all, it is simply a reality of our position on the Earth. We do not live on the equator, in fact, we live in a place where four seasons is a given. Winter, spring, summer and fall arrive every year, each with some amazing opportunities for recreation and fun. And, all have a few things that we can complain about. Why? For the same reason everyone complains: Because we can.

Sometimes, I think we complain more about winter because it’s an easy victim. However, whenever I challenge people to remember something fun about winter, they often go back to their childhoods. Those were the days when winter meant snow angels and forts, family snowball fights and school snow days, none of which felt like work or cold.

So this year, I’m building more forts and making more snowballs. For the first snow accumulation and all those after I am making a snow angel. I’m remembering the wintry North Dakota from my childhood when sledding was my job and shovels were for building forts.

Remember when your mother used to yell at you for going out when it was 20 below and getting your ears so red they could have called you Rudolph, and you didn’t care. Why? Because the simple joy of winter had too much pull.

North Dakota covered in snow called to us as children. It begged us to come and play, to build, create, explore, laugh and enjoy the beauty that is winter.

It calls you now. Do you hear it, or have you chosen not to listen?

Now Hiring: North Dakota Oil Boom Creates Thousands of Jobs
Those hurt hard by the ailing economy are flocking to Williston, N.D., where an oil boom has turned a sleepy prairie town into a place producing thousands of jobs.

Now Hiring: North Dakota Oil Boom Creates Thousands of Jobs – NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams

Boomtown: High-Paying Jobs, No Experience Required
NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams will be running a three-part series focused on Williston, ND and the oil boom.

Boomtown: High-Paying Jobs, No Experience Required – NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams

How North Dakota Outpaced the U.S. Economy
North Dakota wins the bragging rights for growing the most last year, up 7.1 percent from in 2009. Just a stone’s throw away, Wyoming actually slumped, leading the nation’s slowest states.

How North Dakota Outpaced the U.S. Economy – KTVQ.com Billings

Bismarck, ND: Lowest Unemployment Rate
This “boomtown” boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. lies in the Great Plains.

Video: Bismarck, ND: Lowest Unemployment Rate – ABCNews.com

Sometimes just knowing where to look is the key piece to the puzzle. There’s only a few short days left of North Dakota’s online job fair – www.WebFairND.com. Until October 31, www.WebFairND.com is featuring job openings across North Dakota. (Spooky, we know … Halloween reference.) Don’t miss your chance to connect, browse and seek out new opportunities in our fine state. Plus, you can always be looking online, anytime by visiting www.FindJobsND.com and connect with North Dakota’s Job Service.

Take the time to look and you just might find a job that’s right for you!

Get a preview of what to expect by checking out “Broadening the Jobs Pipeline” below by Keynote Speaker Ed Gordon. His views on expanding the global workforce should help get us all thinking about how we increase North Dakota’s pool of talent into the future.

Broadening the Jobs Pipeline

Guest blog by Ed Gordon, President, Imperial Consulting.

            By September 2011 over 30 million American were either unemployed, underemployed or had dropped out of the U.S. labor market. Yet about 5 million mainly scientific, technological, engineering or mathematically-related (STEM) jobs were vacant across the U.S. economy. Around the globe more firms are beginning to report that even though there are huge numbers of available workers, they do not have the skills they want. Why is this happening?

            The U.S. education-to-employment system is largely failing to prepare people with the required skills to compete in this new labor market era. It has outlived the labor economy for which it was created 100 years ago. Since then the incremental adjustments, the “education reforms,” are no longer enough to patch the broken talent pipeline. At the same time, laid-off workers often lack the skills to move into jobs in growing sectors of the economy. Job training programs are largely inconsistent, short-term, and too generic.

            My frequent travels give me an opportunity to keynote regional economic/job summits. Local business and community leaders are beginning to understand that this is the new jobs economy. It requires a new systemic jobs solution. These leaders seem more determined than ever to help their communities produce more good-paying jobs and the local skilled talent to fill them. Their principal problem is that people in any community need accurate information on these issues, not empty rhetoric. They also need encouragement to overcome personal feelings of anxiety and helplessness.

            Since the 1990s numerous U.S. communities have established Regional Talent Innovation Networks (RETAINs) that are using teamwork to build broad, interconnected networks of partners to bridge the talent gap between current educational preparation and the rising talent needs of local/regional businesses. They also seek to grow the local business and jobs base through innovative economic, educational, and infrastructure initiatives. These RETAINs address both the short-term and long-term needs of local businesses by helping to retrain current workers for in-demand jobs while preparing their children for the jobs and careers of tomorrow. Often the RETAINs short-term focus is the redevelopment of the current workforce through training programs for employed or unemployed persons. The most successful RETAINS equip workers with the skills needed for open jobs in local businesses or provide incumbent workers with the training and education needed to keep their current jobs or for career advancement.

            A good example is HIRED in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area. Begun in 2005, it matches jobs that businesses need filled today with a blend of classroom education and simultaneous on-site employer training. Unemployed workers with some, but not all, of the necessary qualifications are placed in paid job training programs. Also employed workers can get skill updates to keep their jobs, thus assisting employers to remain competitive. Everyone wins. As a rapid training and talent-creating system, it blends public-private funding for education and training.

            Regional collaborative partnerships throughout North Dakota also combine business and government investments in incumbent worker training/education programs. At Bismarck State College, a national training center sponsored by local companies including Great River Energy as well as national energy industry partners provides on-line training programs to workers throughout the United States.  Great River Energy also sponsors a $1 million Control Room Power Plant Simulator that provides power-industry training for the region.

            RETAINs strive in the long-term to transform the workforce pipeline by establishing and maintaining career education and information programs throughout a region’s elementary and secondary schools. They also partner with post-secondary institutions to build programs offering career certificates and degrees aligned to current and future skill requirements. Students and parents must be provided with a much more detailed understanding of the nature of current jobs and careers, their salary ranges, educational requirements, and local current/future employment opportunities.

            The United States needs to adopt more targeted policies rooted at the local level to help the millions stuck in the wrong places with the wrong skills. Civic activism has long been a hallmark of American culture. Businesses, educators, union leaders, government officials, and community groups and organizations are working together to form these RETAINs. These regional partnerships focused on developing the skills and education required for employment in a 21st-century global economy can help the United States move beyond the current workforce meltdown into a decade of increased opportunity. Americans must act now before it is too late.

Edward E. Gordon is president of Imperial Consulting Corporation in Chicago. He is the author of Winning the Global Talent Showdown and many other titles. He can be reached at www.imperialcorp.com.

Enjoying the colorful fun at Papa's Pumpkin Patch.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism Division just announced seven ways to harvest a “Legendary” adventure in North Dakota. We want to do them all. How about you?

For those hunting birds, fish, ghosts or the Great Pumpkin, you’ve come to the right place. North Dakota abounds with ghosts, ghouls, gourds and waterfowl in October. Do a little hunting early, then take the family to one of the state’s many haunted Halloween activities in the evening. And who knows, you may actually succeed where Linus fails every year in his quest to find the Great Pumpkin. Be sincere in your search and try these spine-tingling activities. Here are a few options to check out, or contact North Dakota Tourism for additional ideas at www.ndtourism.com or call 800-435-5663 or 701-328-2525.

1. Harvest moon 

The chill in the fall air is nothing like that tickling your spine as you work your way through a haunted fort, a haunted cemetery and a haunted house. ’Tis the season for a full moon (October 11) and the ghostly haunts that follow as we head toward Halloween. Get your thrills and chills at Fort Abraham Lincoln’s Haunted Fort, Fort Buford’s Haunted Cemetery Walk and Grand Forks’ Legend of Terror Haunted House.

2. AMAZEing pumpkins

Two things are synonymous with Halloween, Ghosts and pumpkins. You may not find the Great Pumpkin, but you’re sure to have a great time looking for him at some of the pumpkin patches in North Dakota.  Begin your search at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in Mandan, Berry’s Acres at Minot or Nelson’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at Grand Forks. .

3. Bountiful arts

Take your sense of adventure around the state and discover hidden gems like the Prairie Fire Pottery in Beach or 62 Doors Gallery and Studio in Minot. If you prefer to stroll while admiring the local talent, try the Art and Wine Walk in Grand Forks, Artfest in Minot or the Fargo-Moorhead Visual Artists Studio Crawl. Many of North Dakota’s art galleries are close to home, so find one near you.
4. Oktober Fests

October is a month for celebrating, and North Dakota’s small towns and large cities know how to do it right. The season gets rolling with The Muddy River Mashers’ Oktoberfest in Bismarck. Fargo brews up a celebration with its own Oktoberfest, and Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo gets into the spirit of the season with family activities and a Harley-Davidson giveaway.

5. Fall Fishing Frenzy

While hunters eagerly await their seasons to start, anglers have no such worries as their season never ends in North Dakota. For years, fishing in the state has picked up in October and every indication is  that the bite will continue. Plus, ramp access to the Missouri River continues to improve.

6. Harvest your favorite game

North Dakota is a waterfowler’s paradise. There’s nothing “daffy” about duck hunting here, as a large fall flight of ducks is expected to make its way through the state. The Central Flyway through the middle and eastern parts of the state routes vast flights of geese through the area on their trek south. Meanwhile, pheasant hunters from far and wide await that season opener on October 8th.

7. Harvest adventure

Take in the natural splendor of fall by going camping, biking or hiking. North Dakota’s state parks are open year-round, and autumn activities abound in all of the state’s 13 parks. Whether you choose to pedal, leg it or hoof it on a horse, you’re guaranteed to see nature at its best from the various trails intertwined across the state. And, the crisp nights are ideal for sleeping under the stars.

 These are just a few ideas to celebrate the harvest throughout North Dakota. For more information, go to NDtourism.com or phone 800-435-5663 or 701-328-2525.