BY KAREN CAMPBELL
Weakley County Schools Communications Director
MCKENZIE (February 24) - Nearly 50 students from Weakley County Schools now have a better understanding of career options after high school thanks to the Weakley County Transition School to Work Program’s recent tours of Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in McKenzie.
The district program encourages students with documented disabilities to take part in training and counseling intended to lead to employment or continued education after graduation.
Kandace Jackson serves as the Case Manager for the program. Working alongside her are Workplace Readiness Specialists Keith Douglas and Kaylee Kemp. They traveled with groups from each high school to observe and hear from TCAT representatives.
“Our goal with this trip was to expose these students to one of our local post-secondary options in a small group setting that would allow them feel comfortable asking questions and get an in-depth understanding of how TCAT works and what TCAT can do for them,” Jackson said.
The Dresden, Gleason, Greenfield and Westview students traveled to McKenzie in February. Content for the day included an overview of the eight programs offered there - HVAC/Appliance Repair, Welding, Automotive, Machine Tool Technology, Administrative Office Management, Information Technology, and Industrial Maintenance. Students also heard more about the types of careers they could pursue with each certification and the average pay expected, what local employers hire TCAT graduates, and options for financial aid.
Jackson notes that the program, designed to prepare students for the transition from school to work or post-secondary training, does so through the delivery of five services: