HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College’s Applied Technologies Division last week welcomed high school seniors and recent graduates to its fifth annual Career and Technical Letter of Intent Signing Day, complete with a ceremony and lunch celebrating students’ choice of a technical/vocational education pathway the same way schools usually celebrate an athlete’s choice of college. The students committed to the school’s technical programs starting in fall 2020.
After the ceremony, Wallace State Dean of Applied Technologies Dr. Jimmy Hodges told The Tribune, “Today was-I think it’s our fifth annual Signing Day, and what happened today is we had a group of 12th graders that’ll be graduating in May, and they made a decision today to go into a career in a technical field, and they signed a letter of intent to go into one of our technical programs. The exciting part is that you see all this parental support that we have here; these folks are out here supporting their students because they have made this decision, and most of these careers are going to start out making , a lot of times, more than their parents are already making in an established career. Career and Technical Signing Day: happy times!”
The event was held in the acknowledgment of National Career Technical Education (CTE) Month through the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3).
High school students from Cherokee, Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Jefferson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Madison, Shelby, Walker and Winston Counties made the trip to Wallace State, pledging their allegiances to the college.
“You have made a decision to attend a high-quality, high-demand training program here at Wallace State. This is a celebration of you choosing a career and technical program. It’s your day and your celebration,” said Jimmy Hodges. “We offer some of the highest quality training you’ll find anywhere in the country.”
Aailyah Wilson, a senior at Huffman High School, has decided to join Wallace State’s Building Construction program.
“I’m in an architecture and construction program in high school and I love it. I want to take it to the next level and pursue a career out of it,” Wilson said. “Wallace State is a great place to do it.”
Wallace State welcomed 39 incoming students who committed to join the following Wallace State programs: advanced automotive technology, aviation/flight technology, building construction, culinary arts, diesel technology, mechatronics/electronics/robotics, engineering technology, HVAC/refrigeration, machine tool technology, salon and spa management and welding.
The event is modeled after an athletics signing, and each student in attendance officially commits to their respective programs or majors as their future instructors look on.
“One of the cool things about today is these students aren’t here yet, but have envisioned themselves performing a certain type of trade or skill and this confirms those goals,” Hodges said. “It’s exciting to see the hope and glimmer in their eyes. The students also get a chance to tour their respective shops and see the environment they’re going to be at for the next two years.”
Representatives from Wallace State’s NC3 partners were in attendance in addition to Dale Greer from the Cullman Economic Development Agency.
Wallace State’s Applied Technologies Division has apprenticeship agreements with organizations like Mercedes-Benz and is a strong participant in the Alabama Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (F.A.M.E.) chapter.
Cullman Area Technology Academy Precision Machining instructor Tim White told The Tribune, “We have a very good relationship with our machining program here at Wallace State. We have an articulation agreement with them, and it’s kind of a win-win situation for everybody- us and Wallace and, more importantly, the students.”
Hodges made the rounds during lunch, talking to student signees and their families. After talking to one proud dad, the dean turned to his son and told him, “You’re never going to regret coming here.”
Copyright 2020 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
