Stepping Up

Today's Students are Tomorrow's Employees. It may just be a tagline on our website but our local businesses, industries, hotels, and healthcare providers are counting on it. There has never been more resources and programming focused on career awareness and workforce development than today. Before COVID, employers were struggling to find qualified workers and with the pandemic, we see HELP WANTED signs in every window.

STEP not only sponsors work-based events and activities but wants to make the connection of classroom to career. Our team is here to bring together employer, educator and workforce development communities.

Best,

Pam, Vivian & Shyrese

#workHERE mini-grants are funded through the generosity of our local industry partners and supporters. The purpose of the #workHERE mini-grants is to test ideas, expand promising efforts or achieve greater impact through STEAM with a career/company focus and future pathway connection.

The #workHERE initiative is a regional effort to close the information gap by expanding career awareness within the Twin Counties through work-based learning experiences and creating seamless pathways that lead to employment.

Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to educators for worthy projects that show the promise of benefiting students and improving educational performance. Grants will be awarded to applicants that can demonstrate that grant funds will provide a tangible, positive impact on their students.

Email STEP Executive Director, Pamela Gould steptwincounties@gmail.com or ask your school administrator.

STEP's teacher extern program, Teachers@Work, places educators in a week long work-based learning experience with local a local company. This year, 12 teacher externs completed the program with the following employers: Barnhill Contracting, Hitachi Astemo, Cummins-RMEP, Town of Tarboro, City of Rocky Mount, LS Cable, and Nash UNC Healthcare. Also, two teachers were assigned to the local community colleges to learn more about pathways and course connections to local careers. The goal is to expose our educators to career opportunities and the technical and essential skills needed in the workplace to share with their students.

2021 Teachers@Work Co-Hort

Lesley Murray-SNMS Reginald Bess-THS Lisa Elliott-RMHS Donna Cady-EMS Tasha Cooper-SWE Spiers Miller-SWE Anthony Harrison-SNMS Takisha Jones-SWE Rachel Brackney-SWE Anica Weeks-EMS LeJuan Walker-RMMS Sara Mann-TRA