LUMBERTON — PSRC eighth graders explored various career programs and pathways available to them during the Robeson County Career Center Showcase Event on Wednesday.
Students who attended the event held at the Southeastern Agricultural Center had the opportunity to explore and take part in interactive hands-on activities at various educational booths during the event.
Career and Technical Education instructors and students were present to lead activities in areas of the electrical, paramedic, drafting and other program areas offered at the Robeson County Career Center.
“I personally think it’s one of the greatest events that we have for the transition of students from middle school to high school because of the exposure that they get to the number of careers that we offer at the Robeson County Career Center and they get to participate in hands-on learning activities instead of just seeing a list of programs offered,” said Herman Locklear, PSRC Career and Technical Education Director.
The purpose of the event held at the center on Wednesday and Thursday was to help eighth graders see the many programs offered through the center that can allow them to graduate high school with credentials/certificates and skills needed to enter the workforce.
“It’s important because with the way the industry is now, you know, jobs like these are hard to fill,” said Chris Byrd, an Automotive instructor at the Robeson County Career Center.
Byrd said that even if students take courses at the center in vocations they don’t enter after high school, they still can learn the importance of teamwork and the value of leadership and communication skills.
Those skills “can carry over into pretty much any other industry,” Byrd said.
PSRC student Charity Locklear said she is interested in nursing with plans to be a surgeon one day. Both Pharmacy Technician and EMT programs showcased during the event captured her attention, she said.
She also enjoyed her trip to the automotive booth where students participated in a competition to see who could remove a tire the fastest.
PSRC student Sky Locklear could be seen participating in the competition at the automotive booth and lifting a tire from the rim.
Sky said she wants to become a mechanic like her father.
“I hope that they gain a sense of whatever they like to do, there is a career there,” said CTE Director Herman Locklear.
With the participation of CTE students, the event offers an opportunity for higher student engagement with programs, the CTE director said.
“This is not just instructor-led it’s students sharing with students,” he said. “That makes a big difference.”
The CTE director anticipates the attendance of more than 1,000 students as the event continues into Thursday.
Communities in Schools of Robeson County and Southeastern Charter Academy also were invited to attend the event, he said.
Also at the event were Robeson Community College representatives who manned the college’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Booth and Lumberton police officers who led a drunk driving simulation involving a golfcart and obstacle course.
“Events like this are so important for our middle school students who are still navigating what their future could look like. This event allows students to both dream and to forge a path that will help make those dreams a reality,” said PSRC Chief Communications Officer Jessica Horne.