Rutherford County Schools Town Hall
Over 200 parents, students and teachers gathered in the Rockvale High School auditorium for a discussion featuring Rutherford Works industry partners, career and technical education staff and Rutherford County Schools administration to discuss college and career readiness on October 28.
Attendees were greeted with a performance from the student jazz band before the Eagleville High School FFA started the program.
"Everything we do is to provide different opportunities for success to our students," stated Director of Schools Bill Spurlock as he covered statistics related to post-secondary education including school options, graduation rates and student debt.
During the session soft skills, skills assessments, career and technical education, early-post secondary and post-secondary opportunities were explored.
When discussing soft skills one piece of advice given from IT Council Chair Greg Thompson to parents and students was to "Learn how to fail, recover from failure and learn how to move forward."
In addition to career preparation topics, members from each of the Rutherford Works Industry Councils presented information on the state of in-demand industries, tackled misconceptions regarding careers, and offered insights on available growth opportunities.
Attendees also received information on the benefits of CTE pathways and how YouScience assessments can guide student selection of classes and career research.
"In Rutherford County, we have access to all 16 career and technical education clusters. CTE takes the theory students learn in class and allows them to apply their book knowledge in a hands-on atmosphere," remarked CTE coordinator Tyra Pilgrim.
"Now more than ever, employers are willing to take a chance on someone they may not have considered before, so making sure you have the basic skills and are ready to learn is vital now," added Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce President Paul Latture.
This event was the second town hall event hosted by Rutherford County Schools during the 2019-2020 school year. The remaining town hall meetings are scheduled for February 10 and March 16.
