Exciting new program ensures every student has a winning path to success

This article was written for our sponsor, Nash County Economic Development

The WIN Academy is a multi-week educational program that teaches career development skills to high school students in Nash County. More than thirty students from all four Nash County high schools are enrolled in the inaugural cohort which began in June 2023 and will consist of three weeks of training, tours, mentorship, and coaching. The program will culminate with interviews at local businesses and, potentially, job offers.

Dr. Lew Hunnicutt, president of Nash Community College, and Dr. Steve Ellis, superintendent of Nash County Public Schools, have spent several months collaborating and planning to create this program which they believe is a win-win-win for students, industry, and community.

The program targets the nearly 30% of students who have not clearly identified their next steps after graduation.

"These are students who aren’t planning on going to college, are not going into the military… they don’t see a path for themselves," said Ellis.

This program creates one.

The inspiration for the program comes from a model Hunnicutt was part of while working at a community college in Texas. There, the effort was to increase the Latin student enrollment in community college to reflect the population within the K-12 education system. He witnessed how a strategic partnership between the high schools and the community colleges created a solution.

He wondered if a similar collaborative effort could provide a path for Nash County students. "We started looking at how we could engage kids who weren’t engaged," he said.

Hunnicutt added that this program is not a critique of programs in place. "It’s not a failing of the school system. It’s not a ‘failing’ anywhere. I was one of those kids. It’s just not knowing what you want to do when you graduate," he said.

He also noted the unique opportunity Nash County affords students has a lot to do with the model of WIN A. He said, "We have an incredible number of well-paying jobs that can’t be filled because of the worker shortage all over the country. We can say to students, ‘we can help you get a job that’s going to help your entire family.’"

How the program works

High school seniors will be pinpointed by teachers or counselors to take place in WIN Academy. In addition to career readiness skills, which will be taught by licensed high school teachers, the students will have the opportunity to hear from local business leaders about job opportunities that are geographically convenient to their homes and families. Additionally, they will be able to tour facilities to see what it’s like to work there.

"We’re exposing students to all that Nash County has to offer," said Ellis.

What both Ellis and Hunnicutt have discovered in working with students is that many aren’t aware of what happens within the walls of some of the counties’ biggest employers.

"They’ve heard of Sara Lee and like the products but don’t know what that means to work there. When they visit, they are able to envision a future there," added Hunnicutt.

Businesses already partnered with WIN Academy include Edwards, Poppies, Pfizer, McLane, Sara Lee, and more.

"Nash County is excited about WIN Academy and its commitment to our high school students and building a future workforce for the county’s existing businesses," said Andy Hagy, Economic Development Director for Nash County. "The academy complements the county’s new economic development marketing campaign Work in Nash, an initiative to highlight Nash County businesses and the advantages they offer to potential employees," said Hagy.

The classes will not train students specifically for a job in any one industry but will focus on traits business leaders are looking for overall. Those traits include dependability, punctuality, willingness to learn, goal setting, time management and conflict resolution.

Each day of the course will focus on a specific trait and will encourage students to dig deep to understand what they are looking for in a career. Additionally, students will participate in important career readiness exercises like creating resumes and cover letters, practicing how to dress appropriately for different work situations, and interviewing in mock interviews.

At the end of the program, students apply and, as long as they are high school graduates who fulfilled the requirements of WIN A, they are guaranteed interviews. Hunnicutt hopes that, as the program progresses, many participating businesses will sponsor these students to get their advanced degrees to become leaders at their company.

Hunnicutt jokes that it’s rare to find a college president excited about a program which encourages a ‘non-collegiate’ path, but notes the possible benefits for the students, families, industries, and community are overwhelmingly positive.

He said, "If we educate them locally, get them a job locally, they’ll succeed locally. The cycle will provide a continued stable workforce and a population that provides continued economic prosperity to the area."

This article was written for our sponsor, Nash County Economic Development