Darlington County Institute of Technology inspires with Interactive Career Fair
Darlington County School District students listen to a career presentation by representatives of Pee Dee Electric Cooperative recently during the Darlington County Institute of Technology’s Interactive Career Fair.
The Darlington County Institute of Technology (DCIT) celebrated American Education week recently by hosting 280 students from Darlington County School district (DCSD) for an Interactive Career Fair.
The students, who attend Hartsville High School and Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology, learned about career and educational opportunities available at DCIT to aid them as they pursue career goals.
On Feb. 9, the same opportunity will be provided to approximately 300 students from Darlington High and Lamar High Schools. The events are a collaborative effort between DCIT, DCSD and numerous members of the business community.
Students completed interest assessments and participated in Individualized Graduation Plan conferences to determine their career cluster. Industry representatives were grouped together according to the clusters and spoke to students about related careers. Some of the presenters engaged the students in career simulations to make the experience more true-to-life.
In addition to the presentations from businesses, students also took a tour of DCIT’s state-of-the-art facility. The 40-minute tour gave students chances to listen to DCIT upperclassmen describe their classes such as Accounting, Agriculture, Business Law, Carpentry, Computer Service Repair, Electricity, Engineering, Graphics, Health Science, Machine Tool, Marketing, Webpage Design and Welding. The upperclassmen “ambassadors” explained how to get prepared prior to enrolling, what to expect, advantages of co-curricular student organizations, competitions and conferences, and prospects for their futures.
Career cluster presentations included agriscience and biotechnologies, arts and mass communication, business, education, government and human services, engineering, and medical sciences. Organizations who provided presenters for the Interactive Career Fair included Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Clemson Extension, Coker College, Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence County EMS, Francis Marion University, Lincoln Technical College, Nucor, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, PolyQuest, Sand Hills State Forest, Sonoco, and South Carolina Air National Guard. Other individuals who participated in the Interactive Career Fair included Keon Aldrich, realtor; Dedrick Cameron, sports agent; Chandra Cleveland-Jennings, private investigator; and Judge Cheveron Scott, Darlington County magistrate.
