Every eighth-grade student in the Clarke County School District will get an immersive glimpse into many possible high-demand career opportunities available to them at the upcoming “Wonders of Work” (WOW) Futures Fair to be held at Athens Technical College on March 6. 

A partnership between CCSD, Athens Tech, and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce’s Athens Achieves initiative, the event is intended to:

• introduce students to career opportunities available to them that spark their interest and curiosity
• provide information about related high school and postsecondary course options they have through CCSD’s and Athens Tech’s aligned career, technical, and agricultural education (CTAE) pathways 
• strengthen the connections between education and industry by providing local employers opportunities to interact directly with students and showcase their work. 

In the weeks leading up to the event, more than 800 eighth-grade students from CCSD’s four middle schools have been receiving information on the more than two dozen CTAE pathway options that will be available to them in high school, whether it be through instruction at their home high school (Cedar Shoals or Clarke Central High School) or at the Athens Community Career Academy. Students will use this information to identify the pathways they are interested in and will have the opportunity at the March 6 event to meet directly with local representatives from those industries. The experience will also aid them in working with their counselors to begin building their course schedules for ninth grade and beyond. 

“As we continue our mission of creating educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential and work to prepare students for life after graduation, the ‘Wonders of Work’ Futures Fair is an exciting way to allow students to have a greater voice in and more control of that journey,” said CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott. “We are thrilled for our students to be able to explore what’s possible for them and showcase ways their talent and creativity can shine through a career that they will love. We are grateful to Athens Achieves and Athens Tech for their partnership that will help strengthen our local workforce and aligns with our work of helping our students ‘find their E’ after high school, whether that be enrolling in college, enlisting in the military, directly entering the world of employment, or forging their own path as an entrepreneur.”

The WOW Futures Fair is modeled closely after the nationally recognized “Worlds of Work” event held annually by the West Alabama Works initiative. Athens chamber and business leaders gained inspiration from the event and formed Athens Achieves, which aims to unite business, education, and local government to build a strong workforce pipeline, ensuring a skilled talent pool for current and future employers in Athens-Clarke County.