Connections: CTE and the Chamber of Commerce

Have you tapped into the resources your chamber of commerce can provide to your students and CTE program? Maumelle High School has found a great resource in their local chamber. Perhaps by taking a look at this partnership you will find ideas you can take back to your own community to help you strengthen your relationship with industry partners, showcase your students' work, and build a support system for your program and students.

The Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, Alicia Gillen, has a clear focus and plan for building a relationship between industry members and high school seniors.  Working with CTE teachers and the administration, Gillen organizes Senior Business Luncheons which seniors sign up for at the beginning of the year based on their interests. These luncheons highlight different industries such as distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, and postsecondary education options. Each luncheon event begins with a catered lunch and roundtables with a least one chamber member at each table, providing an opportunity for the students and business partner to interact and connect.  Students gain experience dressing professionally and speaking and eating in a professional setting. The luncheon ends with each table reporting out key discussion points, followed by an industry tour.  Through this exercise, students are exposed to a variety of careers, hear personal stories, and have a chance to ask questions about working in these industries.  This can be an eye-opening experience for our students as they see/hear the importance of being on time, following a dress code, and wearing IDs…all things they dislike about high school. 

Sometimes industry partners come to the chamber seeking ways to get more involved in local schools.  Recently, the Lion’s Club approached Gillen with this request.  Through the conversations that followed, the Maumelle Community Youth Showcase developed.  This Showcase invites students at all grade levels from local schools (public, private, and charter) to showcase projects or ideas they have to improve the environment or community.  The CTSOs greatly benefitted from this opportunity as their members are already doing this.  Three local DECA members worked directly with the Lion’s Club to secure sponsorships from local businesses to reward students for their hard work.  Competitive categories were created for each age group with cash prizes.  The high school division winner was a FCCLA and DECA member who won $500 for her DECA Financial Literacy project called Check Your Future. 

In our community, and perhaps yours, athletics receive plenty of exposure.  We are thankful for the work of our chamber to ensure our academic achievements are also celebrated.  The chamber also holds Academic Signing nights to celebrate students who are receiving academic scholarships for their academic achievements. The Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce also announces their personal scholarship winner this night that is supported by donations from members. 

If your school is not in direct communication with your local chamber, what are you waiting for? Consider encouraging your chamber to start with an educational committee to see which events fit into your community.  You may find ways to tweak these ideas or create other innovative ideas. 

 

By Michelle Camp
2017 ACTE Region IV Fellow
PCSSD – Maumelle High School
Maumelle, Arkansas

 

Read more posts by Michelle and the other 2017 ACTE Fellows…