Stanly County Schools is working with community partners such as our Stanly Community College, economic development experts, and local employers to put programs in place that will produce the workforce our county needs. Our newly-formed advisory council is made up of members of the community from a wide variety of businesses, Stanly Community College, as well as government representatives from the county and municipalities. This council will advise Stanly County Schools regarding our current and future Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs to ensure alignment with the workforce needs of our current and prospective employers.
This year we have placed an emphasis on manufacturing. Advanced Manufacturing courses are being taught for the first time at Albemarle and North Stanly high schools. These courses prepare students to earn the Certified Production Technician credential that would qualify them for an entry-level manufacturing position. Along with offering these courses, we are taking steps to change the perception of manufacturing facilities and work environments. During national manufacturing week, we had 160 students tour manufacturing facilities in Stanly County. Students learned what each manufacturer does, the types of positions available, and the requirements to fill these positions. Students were able to make connections between what they are learning in classrooms, such as electronics, drafting, and advanced manufacturing, with the processes that were happening inside the facility.
Stanly County Schools also offers a wide variety of CTE courses including pathways in 14 different career clusters. These programs include Agriculture, Automotive, Business & Finance, Carpentry, Computer Engineering, Drafting, Electronics, Fire Technology, Graphic/Video Design, Health Science, Masonry, Woodworking and many more. With each of these programs comes the opportunity to earn multiple workplace credentials that will benefit students directly after high school or beyond, depending on their post-secondary plans. Last year, Stanly County Schools students earned over 2500 credentials, and we are on track to increase that number during the 2019-2020 school year.
We encourage our community to be involved with our students. We hope that you will see Stanly County youth as the assets that they are and help us provide them with the exposure and experiences they need to discover their passion. We want our students to explore their aptitudes and interests at a young age so their time in high school can be spent gaining experiences and confirming their interests. There are many ways you can help, including speaking to a class, exposing educators to your industry needs, attending a career fair, mentoring, hosting a job-shadow student, internship or an industry tour. If your business or industry would like to be involved in this partnership please contact our director of Career & Technical Education, Mandy Mills ([email protected])
