FROM CENTRAL ALABAMAWORKS
Montgomery, AL – How many students know what they want to do when they grow up? Since 2015, the Central AlabamaWorks Career Discovery Expo has been helping eighth grade students explore career paths that can keep them close to home and expose them to relevant careers in today’s economy that they will enjoy.
For several years the Career Discovery Expo was held at Trenholm State Community College’s Patterson campus in Montgomery and Southern Union State Community College in Opelika. This year with the limitations put on schools and events due to COVID, the expo is going completely virtual and will launch on April 19, 2021.
The purpose of the Expo is to help students make wise decisions about their future and understand the value of education in preparing for careers that will lead to economic prosperity. Focused on 10 different career clusters, students will learn about occupations, education and skills needed to pursue those occupations, as well as income potential.
The Expo, an industry-led initiative, targets eighth graders in Central AlabamaWorks Region 5, which includes Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Perry, Russell, and Tallapoosa Counties.
“The Expo highlights regional industries and businesses and allows students to see the vast variety of career opportunities in our area. We want to help them find a career path they love, and show them how to achieve it,” said Gindi Prutzman, Executive Director of Central AlabamaWorks.
Over 12,000 students have explored careers through previous Career Discovery Expos. By removing transportation and scheduling barriers, this virtual platform allows Central AlabamaWorks to provide these resources to 8,000 students at once. Students wishing to attend the virtual Expo can visit www.career-discovery.org
Additional resources, accessible from the updated www.career-discovery.org website, have been shared with Career Prep teachers across the 13-county region. These resources included student success story videos, student lessons and activities, and career assessments.
Opportunities to sponsor the Career Discovery Expo are available to businesses and industries in the region. Contact Gindi Prutzman at gprutzman@centralalabamaworks.com, or call the Central AlabamaWorks office at 334-300-8592 for more information.
Central AlabamaWorks! is a non-profit organization established to work throughout Region 5, a thirteen-county workforce region in Central Alabama including the following counties: Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Perry, Russell, and Tallapoosa. The mission of Central AlabamaWorks! is to facilitate a system that provides business and industry with job seekers and students who have received the education and training that aligns with their needs throughout the region.
