By Katie Poppiti: Agriculture & Smart Energy Program Coordinator

Have you ever had the desire to pick up and move to a foreign country and immerse yourself in a new language and culture?  While some may live abroad for a year or two, Ed Miller, HR Coordinator at C.P. Yeatman and Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms, lived in Lima, Peru for twelve years.

After an impromptu trip to Peru with a friend, Miller left his job in the Delaware automotive industry and headed back to South America.  He spent the next dozen years working in higher education in Peru.

While working at a university, Miller and his team helped connect I.T. students to careers in tourism and hospitality management.  He also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes as he believed the language skills were an integral part of the education for students pursuing specific careers.

A native of Kennett Square, Miller recently decided to make the move back stateside to be closer to family. As he began his job search, Miller met Lila Singleton of the Chester County Department of Community Development and she referred him to both PA CareerLink® – Chester County and HireOne for help with his search.

Miller reached out to HireOne, and initiative of the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) whose mission is to identify and facilitate effective linkages among the job seekers and companies hiring in Chester County and the region.

He connected with Jim Lauckner, Senior Project Consultant for HireOne to discuss his skill set, career goals, and opportunities available within Chester County.  With additional support from another CCEDC initiative, AgConnect, Miller secured an interview at C.P. Yeatman and Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms and was subsequently hired by the company.

In December 2015, Miller began working for the farm and has been making great progress in his new role in an agriculture business. With his background in education and training, he hopes to take Mother Earth to the next level by growing their employee education and training programs.  He has already made great strides through the following efforts:

• Researching Learning Management System (LMS) software and micro-learning concepts. LMS is a software application or learning platform that provides e-learning courses and training. Benefits include mobility, reduced training costs, simple course creation, and easy progress tracking and management.  Many systems also have gamification features that incorporate training and performance records into a game or application. Miller is most excited for the opportunities to utilize e-learning on the mushrooms farm.  The ability to take a course to a specific farm site versus holding it in an office or classroom setting is a great benefit to both farm employee and employer.  LMS also has the potential to allow employees to daily track their performance. In addition, the ability to provide micro learning, hyperspecfic, short modules allows the trainee to focus in on one particular topic and not spend an entire day away from their job.
• Developing a short term internship/shadowing program for high school students
• Serving as Co-Chair for the HR Committee of the American Mushroom Institute.

Miller is thankful for the assistance HireOne and by extension, AgConnect, provided him during his transition back to the states and into his new positon at C.P. Yeatman and Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms.

Want to learn how HireOne can help you?  Attend our next event – Best Practices for your Job Search on Wednesday, August 31.  To register or learn more, visit hireonecc.com.