More Than a Thousand Students Explored Career Opportunities at Collin College's Technical Campus

More than a thousand middle and high school students strolled the hallways of the Collin College Technical Campus during the Youth Career Exploration event.

Collin College partnered with Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas to host this educational and career-driven event, which introduced students to different career pathways through the efforts of more than 50 employer participants.

“This interactive event focuses on sharing career options with young people, so they understand many, varied possibilities for their future,” said Dr. Brenden Mesch, Collin College Technical Campus provost. “Judging by the excitement on the students’ faces as they roamed the hallways of the campus, this event was a success. We had phenomenal support from area businesses and a few of the college’s higher education partners: Texas A&M University, Texas State University, and The University of Texas at Dallas.”

Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas’ primary goal for Youth Career Exploration is for young people to explore their interests and gain valuable insights that can impact their future endeavors, giving them an opportunity to learn about different career paths, industries, and job opportunities.

Xander Harvey, a 13-year-old student at Greenville Middle School, along with his mother, Susan Harvey, a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Greenville Independent School District, shared their experience at the event.

“It’s pretty cool and the buildings are big,” said Xander. “I liked the photography part in Building C. I learned a little more about photography and the different software the college uses.”

If given the opportunity, Xander said that he would attend the event again to learn more about the college. A percussionist, Xander plans to either be a videographer or be a part of a band after high school.

Susan Harvey expressed her appreciation of how the event gave the students an opportunity to explore their interests and gain insight from local industries.

“I’m a CTE teacher, and I’m also an AVID (Advance Via Individual Determination) teacher. Both programs promote college and career preparation,” Harvey said. “We were excited to discover that there are opportunities for the students to see career connections and discover where they can get that training. We have so many programs at the high school that will feed into what the college offers.”

To learn more about Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas, visit www.dfwjobs.com/youth/explore-careers. For more information about Collin College, visit www.collin.edu. 

Collin College serves more than 60,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.

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Middle and high school students from surrounding counties visited the Collin College Technical Campus to explore their interests and career opportunities during the Youth Career Exploration event.

 

Photos by Sara Carpenter, Collin College photographer