Students practiced construction skills associated with Bradley Central High School’s architecture programs
Volkswagen Academy’s Ralph Gwaltney discusses skills necessary for jobs at the Volkswagen manufacturing facility
Walker Valley High School’s FFA drew great attention with bunnies from the agricultural program
News Channel 9’s Sarah Jennings, TV anchor on “Good Morning Chattanooga,” spoke with students interested in broadcast journalism
Students took a microscopic look at wastewater treatment processes that assure clean drinking water.
Students interested in healthcare careers gained valuable information from representatives from Life Care Center of Cleveland
Tracey Wright (at right), one of the event organizers, led students in a Jeopardy-type game to discuss courses available at Cleveland State Community College to help prepare them for career choices and life after high school
Some 1,200 middle-schoolers filled the Cleveland State auditorium for “College 101” to learn what to do and what not to do as students beginning their college years
WACKER POLYSILICON employees engaged students in activities relative to the production of polysilicon at the Charleston plant
Preparing students to make informed choices about the career paths and courses of study they pursue while in high school is one of the objectives of the workforce development programs for the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
To meet that objective, the chamber held a Career Awareness Fair for 1,200 eighth graders at Cleveland State Community College.
“It is not too early in eighth grade to begin thinking about what careers will be available for these students and what preparation they need in order to become part of a qualified workforce for our community,” Sherry Crye, director of workforce development, said.
The Career Awareness Fair consisted of exhibits from the Career Technical Education programs offered in the three local high schools, as well as some of the programs offered at Cleveland State Community College, Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Volkswagen Academy.
Business and industry exhibitors included Cleveland Utilities, Cormetech Environmental Technologies Inc., DENSO Manufacturing, Family Resource Agency, Don Ledford Automotive Center, Life Care Center of Cleveland, Mars Chocolate North America, Tennova Healthcare—Cleveland and WACKER POLYSILICON North America. News Channel 9 celebrities Sarah Jennings and Greg Funderburk also participated. Representing service careers were Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Bradley Fire and Rescue, Cleveland Fire and Rescue, Cleveland Police Department, Life Force, TWRA and U.S. Forest Service.
Each student received a BINGO card to “play” as they visited exhibitors and learned about as many careers as time would allow. Cash prizes were awarded.
The eighth-graders also participated in College 101 and a Jeopardy-type game, presented by Cleveland State. These programs allowed the middle-school students an opportunity to explore post-secondary options, what is needed to be a successful employee or college student, and the need for them to begin thinking about which option is best for them as they enroll in high school courses that will best prepare them.
“The new format addressed requests by both the Bradley County and Cleveland City School Systems to help provide eighth-graders instead of ninth-graders as we’ve previously done,” Ms. Crye explained. “Educators and business professionals both believe that earlier exposure to information and professionals who can help students gain a realistic picture of careers available to them will help them make better-informed decisions about the education path they should follow in high school.”