Hamblen County Pathway to Maintain, Support and Grow a Skilled Workforce (Part1)

In 2011, the Hamblen County Foundation for Educational Excellence (HC*EXCELL) and Achievement introduced “Cradle through Career”, an initiative aimed at developing a pathway to a skilled workforce and economic success.

The first goal was to find a way to introduce Hamblen County students to workforce development. Through the generous support of a local entrepreneur, HC*EXCELL developed a partnership with Junior Achievement of East Tennessee, the Hamblen County Board of Education and local industries and businesses to launch a pilot JA BizTown program for Hamblen County 5^th grade students.

At the time, Tennessee was struggling to improve K-12 student achievement and educators were wary of any program that might deflect students from the pursuit of academic achievement. Therefore, by consensus, student engagement and achievement would be part of a workforce development pilot.

The pilot critical steps and milestones were to:

• Identify and recruit two elementary schools to participate.
• Train fifth grade teachers in JA BizTown curriculum.
• Recruit, engage and train parent, industry and community volunteers to support school simulated day-long workforce experience.
• Develop result oriented surveys to solicit feedback for documenting and evaluating impact.
• Establish a funding strategy to include all Hamblen County 5^th

In 2010, two Hamblen County fifth grades participated; in 2011, the program served four elementary school fifth grades; in 2012, the pilot program grew to include eight elementary fifth grades; and since 2013, all eleven Hamblen County elementary school fifth grade classes have participated.

• The steady and continued growth was due to teacher buy-in and enthusiasm for linking the school curriculum with the workforce experience.

Teacher Survey Comments

• The JA BizTown program is an incredible experience for our students! Preparation and the day-of experience provide fantastic lessons and real-life experiences. Throughout the year our students continue to reference their experience at BizTown.
• Real-life experience; Fantastic lessons that correlate with standards; Students take responsibility for their jobs and see the correlation between education and real-world application.

Volunteer Survey Comments

• Everything was well prepared and organized. The kids had a blast and had the opportunity to simulate real life experiences. I love that the facilities are very realistic….
• Helps children understand personal finances; helps children understand business world; helps children learn how to conduct business; form professional relationships; and demonstrate tolerance and respect for customers.

Student Comment

• I was so excited to go to BizTown, I’ve been waiting for it since 2^nd grade!

Part 2 to include additional Hamblen County partnerships to support and grow a skilled workforce.

Tish Jones
HC*EXCELL Executive Director