SANFORD -- "Bridging Education and Careers," presented by Central Carolina Works, was held June 23-24 at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

The purpose of the symposium was to connect high school teachers from the area, specifically high school core curriculum teachers, with business and industry leaders. This allows teachers the opportunity to apply and connect their curriculum with the world of work. The symposium featured a business and industry panel, which consisted of Jerry Pedley of Mertek, Chef Gregory Hamm of Chef Hamm Inc., Jason Williams of Red Wolf, and Martin Kegel of Caterpillar. The teachers also visited businesses and industry and toured several CCCC programs.

"This year's symposium focused on math teachers and it is our hope they will take what they learned during the symposium and apply it in their classrooms and to their curriculum," according to Virginia Brown, Director of Secondary Partnerships at Central Carolina Community College.

CCW is an educational initiative by a consortium including Central Carolina Community College, education (Chatham County Schools, Harnett County Schools, and Lee County Schools), business, industry, and community leaders.

CCW funds the placement of career and college advisors in each of the public high schools in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties. These advisors work one-on-one with students to help them take advantage of the state-funded Career and College Promise (CCP) program.

The symposium keynote address was by Eric Guckian, Senior Education Advisor to Gov. Pat McCrory.

"We need to ensure that every kid, regardless of circumstances, regardless of their zip code, regardless of their race, is going to have an opportunity to have a job and to graduate with the skills they need to excel in this economy and in the economy 30 years from now," said Guckian.

Guckian praised the teachers for their work, saying that the work they're doing is giving students real meaningful career pathways.

"I think that this is absolutely a statewide leader in connecting the needs of the economy and making a great educational investment," he said. "This is an incredible opportunity and we need to expand on it."

Dr. Lisa Chapman, Senior Vice President for Programs and Student Services/ Chief Academic Officer with the N.C. Community College System, also spoke to the teachers.

"The bridging of the career and education is first and foremost in the thoughts of all the folks working with workforce development across the state," said Dr. Chapman. "This kind of program is exactly what we need to continue to develop and support."

Dr. Chapman had praise for CCCC, where she formerly served as executive vice president. "This college means so much to this community, and I'm very, very proud of what it means to the community and the relationship that this college has with each of its secondary education partners," she said. "This community has a tremendous resource and is doing great things, and this is a part of that."

The symposium included sessions on Finding the Intersections, Math + Professionalism = Endless Employment Possibilities, Factoring the World of Work (industry visit), and Variables in the Career Equation (CCCC program visits).

The symposium was one of the grant objectives from the Education Workforce and Innovation Fund (EWIF), which is a grant from the Governor's office received by Chatham, Harnett, and Lee County Schools. They were one of 11 recipients in the state to receive this grant. Central Carolina Works is coordinating the EWIF efforts and presented the symposium.

For more information on the Central Carolina Works program, contact Virginia Brown at vbrown@cccc.edu or by telephone at 919-718-7370, or visit the website www.cccc.edu/highschool/inHS, or visit the CCW blog www.cccc.edu/ccwblog. Those who wish to be added to the CCW monthly newsletter can contact Brown.

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.