The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County School System welcomed 800 eighth grade students last Friday to the first annual Carroll County Middle School Career Day held at the West Georgia Technical College, Waco Campus. The event featured business professionals presenting on seventeen career pathways in preparation for their entrance into high school. Leadership from West Georgia Technical College and the University of West Georgia presented opening remarks. Chamber president/CEO Daniel Jackson provided a motivational presentation on the necessity to stay in school, opportunities after graduation and why the students need to pursue a career that they love. “It’s up to each of you to plan for your future and surround yourself with mentors along the way,” stated Jackson, “Then it’s our job to make certain that there are high paying jobs waiting for you here in our community when you finish your education and training.”

The students then participated in individual sessions with professionals in one of the 17 Career Pathway areas. Each presenter focused on educational opportunities in their career and how to be successful after high school, including higher education and advanced training for jobs available in the local area. “Our goal is to educate students on local industries and career options, and to get them thinking as they continue with the next four years in high school,” stated Becky Sailors, counselor of Central Middle School. As ninth graders, high school students must select a Career Pathway (a concentrated category of occupations relating to certain knowledge and skills) as part of the state-prescribed public CTAE curriculum.

“Today was an awesome opportunity to work with industry professionals to provide our middle grade students with the knowledge of opportunities available to them in Carroll County,” shared Linda Sullivan, Dean of WGTC.

“It is our hope that with the success of this inaugural program, next year we will be able expand participation to include the eighth grade classes of other public and private middle schools in the area,” stated Carroll Chamber senior vice president, Donna Armstrong-Lackey. The Career Day was developed by a sub-committee of the Chamber’s Workforce Education Task Force.