3rd Discovery Tour takes educators through 4 manufacturing companies
A group of Stephens County educators recently visited a few local industries as part of the new program that facilitates a discussion where employers tell educators what skills students need to have before entering the workforce.
According to Stephens County High School’s Work-based Learning Coordinator Pam Hill, this was the third Discovery Tour in Stephens County.
During the tour, educators in the Stephens County School System toured local industries including 1st Franklin, ASI, Nifko KTW and Osborne Wood Products.
Following the tour, the group held a roundtable to discuss what they had learned.
Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin told WNEG News, following the discussion, that the Discovery Tours are beneficial for students and local industry leaders.
“Well a couple times every year, we try to get our school administrators, key faculty members, teachers out across the community into our manufacturing operations,” Martin said. “We believe that if they can see what is going on in these companies then they’ll take that information back to the classroom and encourage students with the fact that manufacturing is a wonderful career choice.”
Big A Elementary School Principal John Stith says that the number of opportunities in Stephens County was surprising.
“I was really impressed with touring all of the different manufacturing companies today,” Stith said. “The thing that impressed me the most was just amount of opportunities that are available in Stephens County that I was unaware of, all the jobs and the quality of the jobs, the benefits, the salaries, they’re really more than jobs, they’re careers. It was just real amazing to me to learn about that and the way that these companies are investing in people with training and benefits. So it was just impressive that these opportunities are here, and my take-away as a Principal is to make sure I let people know, in the community, students, and parents of these great opportunities here in Stephens County.”
Osborne Wood Products’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Leon Osborne says that not everyone realizes what type of jobs are available here locally.
“I think the educators in Stephens County, today, saw valid career opportunities right here in our home town, that haven’t been visible in the way that they have been visible today to our educators,” Osborne said. “I was thrilled to be part of it, I’m glad that the Discovery Tour visited Osborne Wood Products to see the technology that we have, and the ability that we have to work with a young student to build a career and to really build a future for a family right here in Stephens County.”
Osborne continued to stressed that up-and-coming graduates are looking elsewhere for the same types of jobs that the industries in Stephens County are actively looking to fill.
The Discovery Tour is one of many new programs in Stephens County as a solution to better prepare students before entering the workforce.