Habersham County Board of Education members Russ Nelson, Rick Williams, and Don Corbett met with Human Resource directors and toured manufacturing facilities in Clarkesville and Cornelia this week to learn what the school system can do to better prepare students for jobs in industry.
Former Habersham County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Wade Rhodes organized the tour to show leaders what the private sector is facing when it comes to hiring. The business leaders they met all said the overall number and quality of workers available for manufacturing in Habersham County is in noticeable decline.
The reaction to Now Habersham’s story about the tour was immediate. Most parents who contacted us through facebook agree that there’s a societal bias against manufacturing jobs and the current practice of trying to force all students toward college is doing them a disservice.
Habersham native and mother Dana Knight does hiring for a small business. She wrote, “Absolutely! I’m trying to hire for 3 positions in our production shop right now, and can’t find folks with the skills needed – electrical, hand tools, basic math (no excel or calculators!). These are good jobs with full benefits. Not everyone is cut out for an office job. My son is smart – scary smart – but he would never make it through college or ever sit in an office. He is a welder’s apprentice right now, and makes enough to pay his own way in Southern California.”
Mother of two Leigh Stallings Jarrell of Clarkesville agrees, “Dana Knight nailed it – basic math – not this common core math. Not all kids can or will go to college. We don’t need to push them into college prep.”
After the tour, school leaders say they will work to bring more options to Habersham students including some vocational career days. They’re also working with the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce and the Archway Partnership from the University of Georgia to add basic work skills to the everyday school curriculum.
Xan Noggle wrote, “Thank goodness they took the tour. You don’t have to be a college grad to have a great career. I wish education hadn’t shifted so far to think all students are the same.”
Read the original Now Habersham Story and watch the video above to hear for yourself the problems facing Habersham County manufacturers. Let us know what you think.
