Over 3,400 K-8 students test drive local jobs at first ever Careers on Wheels event
More than 3,400 kindergarten through 8th grade students went face-to-face with local business owners, industry partners and public safety officials at the first Careers on Wheels event at Southeastern Community College on March 23. In partnership with Columbus County Schools, Careers on Wheels put students in the driver’s seat of many hands-on technical careers found in Columbus County.
SCC Associate Vice President of Education and Training Angie Ransom said that Careers on Wheels satisfied the request of local industry partners gaining earlier access to K-8 students in a career fair environment. She explained that by the time students reach their senior year, it’s often too late to educate them about careers found in Columbus County.
“This event also gave us an opportunity to expose these students to Career and College Promise options in addition to the early college experience we house on campus,” Ransom said. “Careers on Wheels was a culmination of hard work and planning with a lot of people working together towards a common goal.”
Tina Little, CCS’s CTE Director and Federal Programs Director, described Careers on Wheels as a “great success” and called the partnership between CCS and SCC an “amazing, boots on the ground” effort. She enjoyed seeing students interacting with business owners and industry partners, and she said that getting hands-on experience with vehicles and equipment was more beneficial than a standard lecture in front of a classroom.
“We had great feedback from everyone,” Little said. “My regional coordinator, superintendent, assistant superintendent, a school board member, school principals and all of Southeastern’s leadership was there, so we had great representation.”
Little said it was “never too early” for students to start thinking about careers and what they want to do in the future. She said the event allowed students to “put a career with a wheel so to speak” in associating a particular career with a particular vehicle.
Addressing the faculty, instructors and staff in a campus-wide email after the event, SCC leadership expressed gratitude and commendation for the efforts put into Careers on Wheels.
“Thank you for everyone’s support in making Careers on Wheels an overwhelming success,” said Dr. Brandon Jenkins, SCC Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. “I want to especially thank Angie Ransom and all the planning team. Their work has been ongoing since late last fall and made the day exceptionally well organized and productive. Amongst the 3,400 children we interacted with, if at least one of their lives is impacted positively by this event, then it was all worth it.”
“We appreciate all the hands-on deck and working with our youth,” said Dr. Chris English, SCC President. “These children are our future and the growth in Columbus County. The event you participated in will see benefits for years to come.”
SCC Business Administration Instructor Cristian Wood called the event “wonderful” and said it was a “joy to see all the smiling faces of students on campus.” As a business administration instructor, she said it was important for local businesses to get in front of potential future employees and educate them about what they offer.
“I think this was a great event, and the students and teachers seemed really impressed,” said Dr. Mike Ammons, SCC’s Dean of Technical Training. “Everyone had a good time, and it was very interactive. This was a great achievement in doing this event.”
Evelyn Brisbon, SCC’s HRD Employability Skills Specialist, said that Careers on Wheels gave students a first-hand look at SCC’s programs and facilities. She said it was important for students to know what kind of jobs SCC can train them for.
“I think the students enjoyed it, and I would have loved doing something like that when I was that age,” said Jessica McDowell, SCC’s Adult Learner and CRM Coordinator. “Because people don’t realize that those are core memories, and you remember those. Letting those kids witness this event was amazing, and for this being our first time doing this, we pulled it off.”
Careers on Wheels will now be an annual event at SCC, continuing to connect students with real career opportunities each year.
Next up, join us on April 29 for our Career Expo, where SCC will welcome industry partners from across the region. This event is open to students, job seekers, and the community. We hope to see you there!
