LUMBERTON – “We’re excited to teach others what we’re learning.”
Those were the words of Maliyah Jones, a 12th grader enrolled in the Nursing Fundamentals class at St. Pauls High School. She and her peers were stationed at the health care booth to share interactive demonstrations about personal protective equipment to sixth graders during the PSRC Career and Technical Education (CTE) Showcase Event at the Southeastern Agricultural Center.
The event, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, gave sixth graders a chance to explore various programs and CTE pathways provided through Career and Technical Education courses offered at the Robeson County Career Center and at PSRC high schools.
The Robeson County Career Center offers PSRC high school students a variety of CTE pathways in which they can earn certifications and credentials and develop marketable skills that employers seek. The Career Center focuses on CTE Trade and Industrial courses, which gives high school students the chance to get a head start on preparing for college and careers. Students can take CTE courses offered at their high schools or the Career Center.
CTE courses at the Career Center include Welding, Automotive Service, Carpentry, Pharmacy Technician, Drafting Engineering, EMT, Plumbing, Masonry, Electrical Trades, Firefighter, HVAC, Digital Media, Computer Engineering, Cisco Network Engineering and CyberSecurity. CTE program areas at the base high schools include Health Sciences, Agriculture, Business, Finance and Marketing and Family and Consumer Sciences (Foods and Nutrition, Hospitality and Tourism, Child Development as well as Apparel classes).
Santino Isidro-Basco could be seen beaming while maneuvering a robot Wednesday at the event.
Isidro-Basco said the robot caught his attention and that he was interested in the Drafting Engineering course at the Robeson County Career Center.
Jerica Hall watched as Alana Bullard, an EMT student at the Career Center, demonstrated lifesaving techniques for opening airways and administering air by using a bag valve device.
“I want to be a vet,” Jerica said. “But, it’s good for me to learn about the human body.”
She said that if she were to enroll in a CTE course, she would likely explore the EMT course.
EMT students Addison Locklear and Destin Locklear were among students who acted out a skit in which they responded to a simulated injury with a stretcher. Both could be seen at the booth as sixth graders stopped by to learn more.
“I hope they see today as an inspiration or maybe an idea of what they want to do for the future,” Addison said. “You have different options, you don’t have to go down a wrong path.”
“This gives them an opportunity to have a better plan for the future. I just think it will help them once they get to high school,” Destin said. “Then, they can get involved and find a future plan and once they find what they love, they can go with it.”
Thomas Oxendine was stationed at the Project Management booth and spoke to students as they looked on to the elaborate display of model homes built with various materials. Oxendine serves as a CTE site coordinator at Fairmont High School.
Students who are enrolled in CTE courses can stay focused and engaged in a career they are interested in, Oxendine said. Instead of changing their major multiple times in college, students enrolled in CTE courses have the opportunity to explore different options and find a career they are truly passionate about.
“In the end, it saves them time and money,” he said.
“We try to help them by putting them on the right career path early,” Oxendine said.
Students are able to plan for their future careers by using data from the NC Department of Commerce to research various jobs, wages and growing job sectors through the NC Star Jobs site, he said.
Jonathan Bell, an EMT instructor at the Career Center, said this event was a vital way to reach future paramedics and workers to address labor shortages across industries.
“There’s a national shortage of workers across the board to include paramedics,” Bell said.
“By instituting this training at the high school level, students can earn credentials that set them up for a job after graduation. For those who are interested in becoming career paramedics, this could give them a head start,” he added.
There will always be a demand for compassionate medical professionals, which means the need for more paramedics is inevitable. In addition, those currently in the industry may not be able to meet the growing demands of the future, he said.
According to the NC Department of Commerce, “By 2032, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (Doctors, Nurses, Technicians, etc.) and Healthcare Support Occupations (Healthcare Aides, Assistants, etc.) are projected to add 55,000 and 33,600 jobs, respectively.”
It will be up to future generations to meet the growing need for more workers in the years to come, according to Bell.
“These sixth graders are going to do that,” he said.
