The Career and Technical Education wing at Temple High School is ready to inspire a new generation of workers by hosting eighth-graders from each of Temple ISD’s three middle school campuses this week.
Temple ISD spokesman Jon Wallin highlighted how these three career days — which will be held from 9 am to 12:05 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — will give participating middle school students an introduction to the department’s course offerings while also providing an opportunity for them to tour the facility.
“Each day will start with a brief introduction to Temple High School and the CTE department and a presentation from Charley Ayres from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas,” he said in a news release. “Students will then break into small groups to tour the center and hear about the possibilities ahead of them.”
Although nearly 600 eighth-graders from Bonham Middle School, Travis Science Academy and Lamar Middle School are expected to participate in these walkthroughs, Denise Ayres, Temple ISD’s CTE director, emphasized how the event is just as beneficial for current CTE students.
“The THS students serve as ambassadors for the event. This provides leadership opportunities for them, which reinforces employability skill practices in areas such as communication, teamwork, time management, flexibility and adaptability,” she said. “The event gives our eighth-grade students the opportunity to see the value of learning as connected to career choices. This helps them better select courses that will help them reach their long-term goals and become workforce ready.”
Last year, Dontavious Bell, a then eighth grade student at Lamar Middle School, told the Telegram how the annual event opened him up to the idea of becoming a mechanic.
“When I was younger, I’d see my dad working on (vehicles) so I’ve gotten to work on them that way. But I usually work on diesel trucks with him because he has an 18-wheeler.” he said while watching ongoing classes in the automotive technology program. “This is definitely something I’d like to do.”
Ayres previously noted how students enrolled in CTE courses at Temple High School are well known for wanting to apply their skills in the local workforce, as they accounted for 243 industry-based certifications during the 2021-22 school year — 57 more than the previous year , according to the Temple Independent School District.
“When students earn industry-recognized certifications, this shows employers they are ready to meet the technical challenges the workplace presents,” she said last June. “It shows students have the necessary knowledge and skills to be a valuable addition to a team, and it shows these students will need less on-the-job training than someone without this knowledge and skills. Thus, they are ready to jump right into the work at hand.”
