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By JOYANNA LOVE |Managing Editor

A new focus on career readiness is coming to Chilton County Schools next school year through Workforce Wednesdays.

CCS Superintendent Corey Clements described the program and asked for community support at a meeting with industry leaders on Feb. 13.

In the 2023-2024 school year, middle school and high school students will have 30 minutes each Wednesday dedicated to career readiness. Clements said this would include career exploration, developing needed soft skills, resume writing, etc.

“The goal of our school system is to create skilled graduates that are employable,” Clements said. “We want to create good citizens that are prepared to leave high school and go out and pursue skilled jobs. About 12% of our students complete a four-year degree. That is 88% of our students that don’t complete a four-year degree, so we realize that there is a job specialization gap that we need to address in creating skilled graduates.”

Clements said he is starting to schedule community members to come to a school on the first Wednesday of every month. Each business participating is being asked to commit to having a speaker for the first week of the month for six to nine months. The speaker would be at a different school each time.

Clements is open to any local industry or business to present about what it takes to have a career in that field, starting salary and advancement opportunities.

“Any help that you could give us would be greatly appreciated,” Clements said. “… Our children are our most valuable resource, and we need your help in teaching them the importance of work.”

Companies interested in participating should contact Clements at hcclements@chiltonboe.com.