Vocational Service starts with your club and your members. Rotary is based on attracting members from a variety of vocations. Take some time to learn about your members and their vocations through classification talks, table discussions, tours of member work places, and vocational moments during your weekly meetings.

In addition to your members, learn about the vocational diversity in your community. A great way to promote Rotary and even recruit new members is to get out and learn about other industries, organizations, and professionals in your community by visiting on behalf of Rotary, or even setting up tours for your members. For instance, our club has toured the hospital, community college, school district, several social/human service organizations, and major industries and manufacturers.

Now that you know your members and your professional community, share this info with the younger generation from elementary through college students. Offer to speak at career days and specialty classes, offer job shadows and mentoring, and support students entering into the trades and technical training. Highlight students of the month from your high school and community/technical college’s programs in workforce education such as automotive, welding, construction, healthcare, and more. Our club provides both academic and vocational scholarships to graduating seniors in our district.

Next look to one of the precepts of Rotary that’s listed on your club website: The Four Way Test. The Four Way Test is a vocational application, to be used in the work place and throughout life. Our club has engaged in a district vocational project to work with classes in one of our high school to expose students to using the four way test in their daily lives. An extension of this is to conduct Four Way Test exercises at your club. Set aside some time to discuss various scenarios you encounter on a daily basis and how the four way test can be employed to work through these situations. http://www.rotary5030.org/ProgramsProjects/4waytest.php

And don’t forget that October is Vocational Service Month, but you can celebrate vocational service all year long.

For more information, suggestions, or to share what your club is doing in vocational service, contact .