Last week, the Southeast Alabama Worlds of Work program visited Andalusia for its second stop. There were over 2,400 career tech seniors participating in more than 60 hands-on activities.
Southeast Alabama Works is a regional council for workforce development that serves 10 counties in the state’s southeastern region. WOW West was a tour that featured several regional businesses connecting students from Covington Arena and Coffee counties. This year’s event was attended by students from Opp City Schools and Andalusia.
“In 2016, a group of volunteers involved in workforce development and community heard about a Mobile event. The volunteers decided to organize the same event in Dothan and formed a team. It can be difficult for students and businesses traveling to 10 counties in the region. We decided to bring the event to Andalusia because it is easier to do so. Southeast Alabama Works Executive Director Ann Marie Carr said that the event was split with five of the westernmost counties in our region attending.
After students in eighth- and tenth grade career tech attended last year’s event, a change was made. “We received feedback from employers that they needed assistance. We made the decision to let seniors and tenth grade career tech students come to this year’s conference.
Carr stated that the event is mainly focused on the industries that are most relevant to the region.
“We have a lot in health science, information technology and professional services such as insurance and businesses, the Lower Alabama Arts Coalition and WSFA’s television station for broadcasting, public communications and broadcasting. We have utility partners, military recruiters and many manufacturers, including Smart Alabama, who builds cars. Our goal is to show students what’s available and that they can do it. That talent is needed right here in our communities.
WOW offers many opportunities to students.
We will continue to reach out to eighth grade students, as they need to be prepared for high school. Many high school students don’t know about the career opportunities available. Some educators are unaware of our program. She said that we want them to consider how they can connect to a school or company to begin my career path.
Carr says that this year’s new software, Career Fair Plus, was implemented.
“We put our businesses online as soon as they were registered. Many of our children went online and created profiles. This interaction between student and employer is what we are trying to encourage. This is true for students and colleges as well. After the event, we hope to get a lot of them together again. We hope that they bring a bit more knowledge than they did before. We hope that they will talk to their parents about what they did and why they came.
Carr, a former teacher, stated that she wants all students to have the same opportunities. Our team is about equalizing the playing field. We are passionate about improving lives and want everyone feel that they have hope. She stated that she wants to make communities better and for children to feel like there are people who care about them and want them to succeed.
Individuals, businesses, and colleges interested in becoming a part of the WOW event can email me at acarr@southeastalabamaworks.com or visit our website at southeastalabamaworks.com.
We are committed to helping others, because we believe that together we can build a better community. We plan to hold this event each year and would love for more businesses to participate. Carr stated that we need the talents and ideas of young people to keep up with all these technological changes.”
The post Students get hands-on learning at World of Works originally appeared on The AndalusiaStar-News.
