Chamber’s Minute: The state of our schools

Over the past eight years, your Shelby County Chamber has actively worked on a number of programs with our partners in education.

These programs — developed with input from Shelby County businesses — are designed to provide Shelby County students with the information they’ll need to make positive career choices after they’ve finished their high school careers.

This business-driven approach is vital to ensuring Shelby County businesses can recruit and retain the managers and employees they need today — and tomorrow. Ensuring the 10,000-plus businesses through Shelby County have a qualified workforce is essential to our communities’ continued growth.

Part of those efforts include your chamber’s collaborative partnership with all of our schools throughout Shelby County. That partnership includes programs such as “Keeping It Real” in ninth grade, “Connect 2 Careers” for 10th graders, “Communication Matters” for 11th graders and the annual “Student and Educator of the Year” program.

What’s more, our recent collaboration on registered apprenticeship opportunities and the newly established “Ready to Work” program for 12th grade students with our partners at 58 INC. and Central 6 Region 4 Workforce Council has taken these efforts to an even higher level.

On Aug. 25, we’re honored to host our annual “State of Our Schools” program, featuring:

► Wayne Vickers, superintendent of Alabaster City Schools

► Dee Fowler, superintendent of Hoover City   

► Scott Coefield, superintendent of Pelham City Schools

► Lewis Brooks, superintendent of Shelby County Schools.

This annual program with our public education partners is another way to engage conversation and to better align education and employer needs. 

If you’d like to join us for the annual “State of Our Schools” program or find out more about our Career Readiness programming at The Shelby County Chamber, please give us a call at 205-663-4542 or visit our website, shelbychamber.org.