SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – Summerville High School is highlighting its Career and Technical Education Center on Thursday morning.
Lt. Governor Pamela Evette is set to tour the innovative center that is home to the manufacturing, engineering, and audio-video technology and communication programs for Dorchester District Two.
Summerville High School Principal Kenny Farrell says when the Career and Technology Center first opened in 2019, they had about 60 kids taking classes. He says now, between programs like engineering, biomedicine, and manufacturing, they have about 1,000 kids coming in each day.
Farrell says they also have two full-time teachers at the center now and are hoping to add a third soon.
Farrell, along with School Board Member Justin Farnsworth, says the programs here work closely with business partners like Bosch, Trident Tech, and Volvo.
“We’re just trying to showcase the great things going on in DD2, how great our kids are, and how we’re preparing our kids to benefit our community,” Farrell said.
Farnsworth says they invited Evette because of her passion for workforce development and education.
“From a student’s perspective, they need to see that what they’re doing means something,” Farnsworth said. “That there is a future.”
Farnsworth says their collaboration with business partners in the area helps them modify and change the program, based on how jobs in the community change.
“The benefit of this particular center, the advanced manufacturing center, is it just sets up the students for anything they want to do to be successful and it’s just a really cool way to have that pipeline of success for our students,” Farnsworth said.
Students will lead Evette on a tour around their workspaces on Thursday morning and explain to her what a typical day looks like.
Evette is expected to arrive at 10:30 a.m.
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