10/13/22
Area educators participate in fourth EQWIP
阿拉巴马州的加兹登. -这是第四年了, area educators were given the opportunity to learn more about local career opportunities 和 technical training programs through the Etowah Qualified Workforce Immersion Program.
“We are excited that we have been able to produce this program for the fourth year,威尔·麦基说, vice president of operations for The Chamber of Gadsden & Etowah县 和 organizer of EQWIP. “It connects educators from our area to a wide variety of manufacturing, technical 和 medical careers in the county.”
The program is a partnership with The Chamber of Gadsden & Etowah县, 东AlabamaWorks, Gadsden State Community College, Etowah县学校系统, 加兹登市学校, 和阿塔拉市学校.
Almost 400 educators from the Etowah县学校系统, 加兹登市学校, 和阿塔拉市学校 gathered Oct. 10 at the Venue to kick off the day. 丽莎·莫拉莱斯, director of 东AlabamaWorks, encouraged the educators to engage in the day’s activities 和 take back information about careers 和 training opportunities available to their students.
“Each year, we have about 1,000 students graduate from schools in Etowah县,”她说。. “Those graduates can help us fill our workforce pipeline. They may go to a two-year college or a four-year university; they may go into the military or go straight into the workforce. But, at the end of the day, they’ll all go to work 和 that is what we need.”
She said a highlight of the day is visiting academic 和 technical programs at Gadsden State.
“We need more machinists, welders, construction workers 和 healthcare providers,”她说。. “The great team at Gadsden State will show you how they provide h和s-on training to those students who are providing our state with the services we need.”
For the morning session, educators joined staff 和 volunteers for The Chamber on 10 buses. Each bus visited two different industries, including Prince Metal Stamping, 加兹登消防学校, 科勒工艺, Gadsden Regional Medical Center, ZLA解决方案, 唤起航空, 包括健康, Hokes Bluff Welding 和 Fabrication, Buffalo Rock 和 Stamped Products.
Mackey said the educators were exposed to different job opportunities within the diverse group of industries.
“Many of them didn’t realize that aviation was even an option for a career in Etowah县 until they visited 唤起航空,他说. “They learned about the current 和 future state of our healthcare system 和 the immediate need for nurses 和 other providers at Gadsden Regional. Even elementary teachers with young students were able to see the link between their students 和 their strengths with the job 和 training opportunities available in our community. It’s never too early for educators to have a major influence on their students’ career choices.”
中午, EQWIP participants returned to the Venue to network 和 have lunch before participating in an interactive group survey competition to recap what they learned at the various morning tours.
“The interactive competition after lunch was made possible through event partner 东AlabamaWorks using the online interactive tool, Kahoot,麦基说.
EQWIP organizers did some research 和 drafted questions about local industry, statewide statistics 和 other information that was covered during the morning session 和 tours. 比赛开始了.
“Survey data collected during the past EQWIP events showed that attendees consistently requested an interactive session during our lunch break,他说. “We were able to deliver that this year, 和 the attendees were very engaged in the activity. This made for a great way to recap what they heard earlier in the day while keeping them engaged 和 excited about being at EQWIP.”
下午的会议, the 10 buses went to one of the three Gadsden campuses of Gadsden State Community College. Each group was able to visit two of 20 programs at the College.
“They visited programs that result in a high-wage job in an in-dem和 industry, 比如工业自动化, 精密机械加工, Truck Driving 和 Construction Technology,艾伦·史密斯说, dean of Workforce Development 和 Technical Education at Gadsden State. “They saw the options available to their students. They saw that their students can learn technical skills 和 employability skills right here in Etowah县, 和, 在两年或更短时间内, 他们可以有一个惊人的, 有益的事业.”
Christi Robinson, president of The Chamber, said it was a great day for all involved.
“This was an important day that showcased economic 和 workforce development in Etowah县 to hundreds of teachers, counselors 和 administrators,”她说。. “通过EQWIP, 我们展示了商业, industry 和 education must work h和-in-h和 for the betterment of our communities.”
