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Quality of Life
Tourism
If you are interested in any of the
following programs, please call (601)948-7575 or e-mail
ksmith@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.
B.I.T.E Day
Each fall, since 1993,
students from local Jackson metro area public, private, and
parochial schools gather to learn about career possibilities.
The program, called the Business/Industry/Teaching Exchange (B.I.T.E.)
Day, was piloted with the Jackson Public School District’s eight
high schools and the district’s Career Development Center with
business leaders for one day.
In the year 2000 the committee
changed its focus from juniors and seniors to 7th and
8th grade students - the grades identified by the
Mississippi Tech Prep Initiative for career and technology
discovery. This year, the committee is following the initiative
of the MS Department of Education’s Brief on redesigning
education by shifting its focus back to 9th and 10th
grades.
So what is it exactly?
B.I.T.E. Day is a
student-centered approach to career education. Sponsored by the
Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership's Education Committee, B.I.T.E.
Day gives students first-hand experience in exploring career
opportunities that await them in the near future. Students along
with some of their teachers, counselors, and administrators
explore businesses such as Construction, Entrepreneurship,
Banking, Government/Law Enforcement, Media, Technology,
Services, Health care, Education, and the Arts. Facilitated by volunteers
from the B.I.T.E. Day committee, the students listen to
speakers, tour industries and businesses, engage in panel
discussions, and are able to interact with professionals on the
job.
Objectives
1.
To provide students with opportunities for career
exploration.
2.
To provide metro area educators and students an opportunity
to learn from business and industry leaders their vision for
the future of Metro Jackson’s economy and their concerns
regarding the relationship between education and economic
development.
3. To update educators on current trends and needs of the
workplace in the community so that they can make practical
applications of the subjects they teach ad “tell students
why they need to learn something.”
How does BITE Day benefit the community?
The students of
today are the leaders of tomorrow. It is crucial to the
success of a business to employ capable individuals that
have the skills necessary to complete a job. In order for
people to develop the necessary skills, they must be t
rained. A wide variety of primary skill sets are learned
during the journey through early and post-secondary
education.
If students were exposed to the skills necessary to do a job
and see it in person, they would know in what areas they
needed to excel in order to get a job within a certain
industry. Therefore, when students tour these industries,
they see first-hand what is required for that job.
A student could very well walk away from an industry tour
with a decision of what they'd like to do when they enter
the workforce. In turn, employers could potentially be
touring students that will one day come to work for them.
The students can then begin the process of fine-tuning their
skills so that they are prepared to work for that company.
If businesses and schools worked together, businesses could
adequately convey what they need out of their employees and
schools could offer the curriculum to appropriately train
them. The outcome: a larger pool of qualified employees to
choose from and a company well stocked with people who know
how to do a job and do it well.
According to some of the research include in MDE’s report,
approximately 81% of students would have avoided dropping out of
school if more “real-world” learning experiences were presented.
Additionally, research indicated that improving teaching and
curricula to make school more relevant and engaging to enhance
the connection between school and work was something that could
help students stay in school. Read between the lines
then…..experiences like B.I.T.E. Day could help to improve our
frighteningly high drop-out rates!
Think about the state of our
economy when those type of rates decline with higher successes
in graduates that are motivated to continue their education so
that they can get better jobs.
MetroJackson Education Advance
The Education Advance (an initiative of the Greater Jackson
Chamber Partnership and outgrowth of the Leadership Jackson Class of 1990-91) has
convened since 1991 with the metro area’s administrators of
public, private, and parochial schools for the purpose of
promoting better communication among educators and to achieve
better understanding and cooperation between education,
industry, and business. Cooperative endeavors accomplished
include the metro common calendar, student activities, teacher
exchanges, and an annual fall retreat.
Metro Teacher Recognition Program:
Each year the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership hosts the annual
Metro Teacher Recognition Luncheon. The program is designed to
recognize and honor classroom teachers and to elevate the
teaching profession, thus demonstrating the business community’s
appreciation for the contribution that teachers make to the
workforce.
R.E.A.P.:
Information coming soon.
Public Safety:
"We're Behind the Badge"
Program and Multi Jurisdictional Task Force. For more
information, please contact Kellye Smith at
ksmith@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.
Health Care:
Information coming soon.
Tourism:
http://www.mstourism.com/
The Greater Jackson Chamber
Partnership
&
Congratulate the 2008 Metro
Teacher Recognition
Honorees!
Click here for the list of honorees.
*For a complete list of
Metro Area School
District Websites
Click
here.
*For the Metro Area
School Calendar 2008 - 2009
Click here.
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