The tour began with a safety lesson, as students had to acquire safety gear in preparation of the tour that began at the sawmill located in Doaktown.Students were given a hard hat, gloves, a reflector vest, safety glasses and a healthy snack to get ready for the day.
Students learned that the sawmill deals with multiple species of wood that are sorted, cut and packaged so they are ready for shipment to consumers around the world.
The students were taken into the woods where they learned about the company's environmental efforts. The guides showed the students how JDI is committed to the regrowth of trees, indicating it believes that you must replant before you can cut down. This is crucial to both environmental and economic sustainability.
In the next three years JDI claims there will be over one thousand jobs to offer locally, which offers students who want to stay in the area possible job opportunities.
The guides explained that when most people think of working for JDI, they assume it is just about cutting down trees. But they pointed out that JDI offers jobs varying from engineers to mechanics.
The company owns quite a few mills in the area and there are plenty of labourer opportunities as well.
Students also learned the company's philosophy on work-life balance, opportunities for advancement, salary and benefit packages. This tour provided insight on potential future jobs wth JDI.
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By Chloe Donovan
