Seward Middle and High School teachers saw first-hand potential careers in the area through exclusive tours of Seward industries.
Matt Dominy, Director of Curriculum at Seward schools, said teachers last week toured Tenneco, Hughes Brothers and Petsource to help teachers gain more information about the career and technical industries in the area. Dominy said the purpose of these tours was for teachers to be able to relay information and possible careers available to their students.
“Teachers were thrilled to see the employees in action and learn about various professions,” he said. “We were in awe of the technical opportunities available in those industries as well as the craftsmanship and workmanship. Our teachers walked away with plenty of ideas to share with students and that was the goal.”
The tours are part of a reVISION grant, which the school utilizes to create more Career and Technical Education opportunities for students as they ready for careers outside of high school.
“With that grant, we were able to bring in stakeholders in the community...and talk about things we can do to prepare students for the workforce and it came up that maybe we didn't know enough about professions available right here in Seward,” he said. “In each industry, there are so many different professions when it comes to HR, technology, engineering, welding...just a plethora of different positions.”
Dominy said a wide array of teachers attended the tours. While the events were geared towards technical education, Dominy said all teachers were encouraged to attend because students can find inspiration and ideas in even the most unassuming places.
“We had teachers that teach welding and agriculture but we also had history teachers, social studies teachers, counselors and just a variety of different people,” he said. “It was a nice cross section because we know those career conversations need to happen in a lot of different classrooms.”
Dominy said the teachers are encouraged to share their experiences in the classroom in whatever format they deem appropriate. He said conversations regarding the careers available may be casual but some of the experiences would have a place in lesson plans.
“Through the conversations they may have in curriculum, they may make a connection that's happening in current events or something in the past that's related to labor,” he said, “but a lot of those conversations are just relationship builders when you're talking to your students and getting to know them.”
One of the most important pieces of the tours, Dominy said, is to show students the opportunities available in Seward. He said he hopes students are encouraged to look within the community when considering careers.
“We wanted to highlight community and positions that are right here, where they live,” he said. “They don't have to go miles and miles away. All these professions we learned about are right here in Seward.”
