Putnam County Schools will graduate its first 25 students from the Industry 4.0 Diploma Distinction Program in two weeks.
CTE Supervisor Jackie Vester said the Industry 4.0 Distinction Diploma is a two-year program designed to better prepare students to transition into a high-demand or high-skilled career after graduating from high school. Vester said students have really enjoyed meeting once a month to receive career coaching.
“It’s just another person who is taking an interest in them and their future,” Vester said. “It supports our initiative of intentional advisement for our students, and so I think just that additional touch point, like anything else, it just allows our students to feel more seen and more heard.”
Vester said now that the program has an identity, she hopes more students will participate in the program.
“I just hope looking forward that more students take advantage because they are already taking the work-based learning, they are already taking the dual enrollment,” Vester said. “I would love for them to take advantage and have those once-a-month meetings with our career coach.”
Vester said that with the success the program has shown in the first class, she expects more students to participate in the program next year. Vester said she wants to spread awareness of the program, as students must sign up for the program by the end of their 10th-grade year.
“That word of mouth, that continued communication to parents and students, that this is an opportunity and helping them to realise that it’s better in my opinion, to sign up for the opportunity and then realise maybe its not gonna work out or maybe you are not gonna be able to obtain it than to not sign up for it and wish you had,” Vester said.
Vester said students who complete the program will be more attractive candidates to employers. Vester said students will have the opportunity to sign up for the program during the next week.
