PJC promoting future jobs to high school students

Published or Revised November 21, 2017

Local high school juniors and seniors will be hearing about jobs of the future, thanks to a two-hour program sponsored by Paris Junior College on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The program is open to all Lamar County high school juniors and seniors, as well as those from the Clarksville and Detroit high schools. The program is being put together with the support and cooperation of the Lamar County Coalition of Business, Industry and Education and Paris Economic Development Corporation. "We need to educate our high school students to the skills required for jobs of the future and get them thinking about potential jobs," said PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin. Though he is unable to attend due to obligations in Washington, D.C., Congressman John Ratcliffe is sending a staff member to address job demand statistics both now and into the future. The program will include a presentation from the U.S. Patent Office about the entrepreneurial spirit, future jobs, and what their agency does. "Currently, for instance, the State of Texas needs 10,000 people with coding skills," said Dr. Anglin, "and I've heard speculation that in 10 years coding will be regarded as a necessary skill just as keyboarding is today." Also attending to speak will be Campbell Soup Senior Director of Operations Brett Dunson, BodyGuard Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kelli Mallicote, and Print Works Owner and General Manager Stephen Terrell. The latter two graduated from local schools and have started and grown their business here in Lamar County. "The point of the Jobs of the Future event is to get our high school students to understand what the skills requirements of today's jobs are, and give them the idea they can grow up, develop their ideas and start their own businesses," said Dr. Anglin. "We want our high school students thinking about jobs for their future." The event, open only to high school juniors and seniors, will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Love Civic Center on Tuesday, Nov. 28. A second event for high school freshmen and sophomores is planned for the spring. For more information, call 903-782-0330.