Windsor 8th graders now have another tool to help them decide on a career path.
The Greater Binghamton Educational Outreach Program (GBEOP), SUNY Broome and BOCES are collaborating on a series of SPARK: Industry Deep Dives over the next few months. The intent is to show students the variety of career pathways in the local community. Each webinar will be comprised of a panel of professionals from education and industry to discuss each career path.
The series kicked off with a nursing webinar that students watched in the Windsor Central Middle School Innovation Center.
“I don’t know if I specifically want to go into nursing. I think I might want to become a physical therapist. But, this will help me be prepared so I have some knowledge. If I want to go into the medical field, I can know where to start and make a plan,” said 8th grader Ryan Kristof.
Nursing panelists included representatives from Broome-Tioga BOCES, SUNY Broome, Binghamton University, Lourdes, UHS, and United Methodist Homes.
“This gives them an overview of what careers are and lets them learn what they might be interested in. We’re giving them more exposure to these careers than they might have in their private lives,” said middle school guidance counselor Andrea White.
The district already offers middle school students the Careers and Cookies series, which features individual professionals meeting with students in an informal setting to discuss their career path. The SPARK series places a number of professionals from an industry in front of students.
“These students will be in high school next year. With the career pathways we offer in Windsor, they can learn now what they will need to do to start on a path,” said White.
A SPARK panel on the construction industry is scheduled for March.