12 for Life Speech Flashcards
Introduction
Name/Role at Southwire
How are you part of it? Why are you the expert?
Brought in over a year ago to help with special projects.
What does 12 for Life mean for you?
Program truly gives students purpose and direction- not only with being successful after graduation but they establish beautiful friendships that they otherwise might not have found.
Why are you the expert?
Unique position. I work with Board of directors, students and all the partners in between. I help work on graduation ceremonies, events, meetings and future pathways for students.
History of SW (part 2)
Now SW is $9 billion dollar company. Over that time, we’ve created values in the company that we’ve built.
History of Southwire (Part 1)
Root of Southwire is problem solving- Mr. Richards started SW in 1950 with 12 people, 3 machines because he wanted his grandmother to have electricity in her home.
Sustainability & Core Tenants
One of our biggest commitments is sustainability.
Core Tenants
Growing Green, Living Well, Giving Back, Doing Right and Building Worth.
Why are the Core Tenants important?
If our communities are not up and thriving, Southwire would not be as successful.
12 for Life Program Updates
A lot has happened in the last 10 years; We now have over 3,300 graduates and the graduation rates in both Carrollton and Florence have increased to 96%- which is the original problem we were working to solve.
Update 2
Current wage is now $12 with additional incentives and bonuses. These can be earned through attendance and grades.
Update 3
The goal has expanded past getting students to graduate; we now have a goal to have students enrolled in future education, enlisted in a branch of the military or employed (Southwire or elsewhere).
Enlisted Example
12 for Life security guard- Dustin Dean.
Enrolled Example- 1
Florence student attended University of Alabama and obtained their Engineering degree. They now work in Carrollton and are involved in our 12 for Life mentorship program.
Employed Example
One of our earliest graduates, Ashley, was a single mother in HS. After graduation, she stayed with Southwire full time, had several roles increasing responsibility and is now a site manager for a Carrollton facility.
Closing
Today was great conversation and I continue to be amazed and learn from the conversations that are had in this classroom.
Child Labor
- Legal working age, pay special attention to working conditions (sleep, schoolwork, etc.), part-time
- Program provides students with credits, support, and opportunity to earn a living.
- Goal is their future.
Fair Wage
$12 an hour + bonus/incentives
Intention of the Program
Get people to graduate, while shaping their future and earning a wage. Set people up for success.
Scalability
- We’ve seen it work, but it is not one size fits all.
- Three pieces are needed to get started- capital, partners, and common issue.
Southwire Scalability
Leaned into a very specific problem- graduation rate being the issue and Southwire/School systems being the partners. You may not take this exact model and replicate that, but you can replicate dedicated companies partnering with school systems to solve niche problems.
Companies that have replicated
Textron, Great Promise Partnership,
Constantly having conversations and tours with people interested/inspired to start their own version.
Great Promise Partnership
Initiative by the state of GA to take the model and expand it out more broadly.
Challenges- COVID
COVID-19: Shutting down the program, making sure that students continued getting resources and support, safe time to bring them back.
Challenge- Student Struggles
Challenges that students are dealing with day in and day out. How do we make sure that we’re supporting these students in the best way?
Employed- Example 2
Mechatronics Program
