STARKVILLE – When April Dill was hired as the new director of Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s Millsaps Career and Technology Center in May, one of her primary missions for the school year was to provide more opportunities for students that come through the center.
Whether it’s finding more student internships, expanding outreach to younger students or creating more opportunities for real-life work experience to high schoolers through the Millsaps work-based learning program, her goal is to provide students with the resources to succeed, she said.
“I’m very passionate about career and technical education,” Dill told The Dispatch. “Although I wasn’t a product (of it), I see … just what it’s doing for (students), and so I’m excited for those opportunities, and I want to lead and provide more opportunities for students.”
During the Starkville Rotary Club meeting Monday morning, Dill and other members of her staff spoke about the mission and goals of the center going into this school year, including the addition of a new work-based learning program intended to give high school juniors and seniors hands-on experience in the workforce.
“We provide opportunities for our students by giving them hands-on learning and real-world experiences and career-connected instruction that not only prepares them for the workforce, but also success in college and then technical training if they choose that path,” Dill said during the meeting at Hilton Garden Inn.
The program, which started in July, places students with local employers who show them the tricks of their trade, whether that’s welding, teaching in the classroom or working in fast-food restaurants.
The goal is to expose students to the workforce early, allowing them to cultivate the skills they need to succeed in their career well before they graduate, Rob Fyke, coordinator for the work-based learning program, told Rotarians.
“What we’re able to do … is provide these students opportunities at the high school level to explore, to learn some of the skills that they have to have to be successful in life,” Fyke said.
Fyke said the program enrolled 26 of the 30 students who applied this year. But next year, he expects to enroll closer to the 50-student maximum allotted by the Mississippi Department of Education.
Fyke said he is also continuing to search for additional community partners to serve as employers for both next year and also for future classes of students with interests in various career fields.
“Partners see the benefits of the workforce we have available at the high school level,” he said. “And so one of the missions for me is to do things like this as much as possible.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
