Overton County rising sixth through ninth grade students can familiarize themselves with future job opportunities at the upcoming Career and Technical Education (CTE) Camp.
Overton County Middle School Career Coach Emily Hammock said attendees can explore different career paths hands on. Hammock said campers will also be able to tour local businesses in various fields to see the pros in action. Hammock said many kids have limited exposure to potential career paths.
“We want to expose our rising sixth through ninth graders to the different job opportunities that are available to them in our community and our surrounding county, so that they’re aware of what options they have so they can find that right fit for them,” Hammock said.
Hammock said campers can try out labs in health services, food and nutrition, veterinary science, and coding and computer science.
Hammock said CTE training is a risk-free way to try out all kinds of jobs. Hammock said students gain something regardless of how well they fit into a potential career.
“Even if they try something out and don’t like it, it’s still a win because they know, ‘Hey, now I know I don’t want to do this particular job, I want to go into something else,'” Hammock said.
Hammock said in the past, some students have disliked classes they thought would be a good fit, which helped them narrow down what they really wanted to do.,
Hammock said it is important to get kids excited about CTE, especially those who lack excitement about the traditional four-year college route.
“It’s very important for the middle school age students to know what’s available for them so they can be prepared for high school, and know what’s available to them, they can go ahead and start their program of study,” Hammock said.
The Overton County CTE Camp is June 23-26 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the LEAD Building at Livingston Academy. Campers will be provided breakfast and lunch.
