Youth Academy tours Adams County businesses, connects students to careers

For Adams County, the real test is whether students can see a future close to home before they start looking elsewhere. Leadership Adams Youth Academy tried to answer that question with an April session that paired leadership training at the Adams County Training & Business Center in West Union with tours of R&R Tool, Baxla Tractor and Raines Farm & Greenhouses.

The day began inside the 15,000-square-foot workforce training facility at the former Prather’s IGA site, where students took part in the program’s monthly leadership work. Leadership Adams says its mission is to improve the quality of life in Adams County by preparing people to take leadership roles in their communities and organizations, and the Youth Academy is designed to develop leadership skills, connect students with key county influencers, explore career opportunities and experience service opportunities. The program is also described as a five-day course with a John Maxwell educational component.

After the classroom portion, students moved into the county economy itself. At R&R Tool, Baxla Tractor and Raines Farm & Greenhouses, they saw workplaces tied to manufacturing, equipment sales and agriculture-related retail, three parts of the local economy that depend on workers who can handle technical, hands-on jobs. That mix matters in a rural county where workforce stability often depends on whether teenagers can picture a career in the same places where they grew up.

The visits also tied into a larger county effort. The Adams County Board of Commissioners and county officials have described the Training & Business Center as a catalyst for workforce development and education, and the Youth Academy fit that strategy by linking student leadership, adult training and employer engagement in one place. Leadership Adams’ project history shows the Youth Academy concept has deep roots, with the 2011 class discussing and developing the first plans for the program.

That history gives the April outing more weight than a simple field trip. Leadership Adams has continued reviewing participant and sponsor feedback and curriculum offerings, suggesting the program is still being shaped around what local students and employers need most. A 2024 account of the Youth Academy quoted Executive Director Jeff Foster saying participants quickly became a team and began thinking about projects early, a description that matches the goal of turning students into future workers and community leaders.

The session ended with lunch at Local Jack’s, a final stop that underscored the networking side of the day. For Adams County, the larger question remains whether those connections turn into jobs, apprenticeships and long-term roots in West Union, Peebles, Manchester and Seaman.