WJCC Career/Tech Ed Program Wins Regional, State Awards

On June 16, WJCC attended the Virginia Department of Education’s “Creating Excellence” Awards Program, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of career and technical education.  The Division received two awards in the Business and Industry category, one at the regional level and one at the state level.  Both awards were given for the Youth Career Expo that was jointly sponsored by our school division and those from Gloucester, Hampton, Newport News, and Poquoson, as well as the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development and the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

The Youth Career Expo was a one-day career-readiness event for high school students from the 21 high schools in the region, which took place this past March. From numerous planning meetings emerged the three-pronged approach to engage thousands of students to attend: Success Workshops, Interview Training and Role Playing, and Exposure to Employment and Internship Opportunities. The testimony of the value of the event came from business and industry representatives who left the Youth Career Expo with a positive impression of the students and the desire to continue their involvement in such endeavors in the future.

Accepting the awards on behalf of WJCC was Dr. Sharmaine Grove (center), WJCC’s Supervisor of Career & Technical Education and Business Partnerships.  Left: WJCC Board Chairman James P. Nickols.  Right:  WJCC School Board member Denise Koch.