Seventeen Northern Essex students from NECC’s Lawrence Campus visited New Balance’s Lawrence facility on Wednesday, Feb. 27, to learn about careers in business.

Seventeen students from Northern Essex Community College’s Lawrence Campus visited New Balance’s facility in Lawrence on Wednesday, Feb. 27, as part of a Career Bridge Outreach Program, designed to introduce students to career options.

While at New Balance, the NECC students listened to presentations from employees about their roles within the company and their educational and career pathways. The students also received a tour of the Sports Lab. The day ended with an interactive presentation from Human Resources on professionalism in the hiring process and in the workplace; focusing specifically on resumes, interviews, social media, and the importance of networking. Before the visit, students were prepped on the importance of professionalism in behavior and dress.

“It was important that the program expose the students to a variety of career options and to give them experience in a workplace setting. My goal was to help the students feel better prepared for success in their future careers,” said Ashley Bragger, a higher education master’s fellow from Merrimack College, who coordinated the program and organized the visit.

The New Balance facility in Lawrence is home to the company’s footwear

NECC students Omaira Salcedo, Jonathan Matos, Alex Acevedo, Steven Gilles, and Emmanuel Hernandez visited New Balance.

design and development teams, retail management, and one of the five manufacturing plants in New England. The students were captivated by New Balance’s office space which is located in a former mill building on South Union Street.  “In renovating the building, New Balance captured the history and character of the building while incorporating innovative design ideas,” said Bragger.

For more information on Northern Essex Community College’s Career Bridge Outreach Program, please contact Ashley Bragger at abragger@necc.mass.edu.