“When I began working with the Chamber’s workforce readiness programs, I realized many local students hadn’t seen anything farther away than two to three blocks from home,” says Darian Scott, Outreach Coordinator at the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.
Scott says he began wondering: how can we expect students to make strong career decisions when they haven’t been exposed to the paths available for their futures? Others shared his concern, and that led to the launch of the Chamber’s Workforce Pipeline Facility Tours for high school students.
EPB hosted the first tour, and soon other companies wanted to participate too.
“By offering facility tours, companies not only support young people in the community to achieve, they also build their own workforce pipeline by exposing students to opportunities with their companies,” Scott says.
EPB, Roadtec and Gestamp have led facility tours for juniors and seniors from Central, Tyner and Brainerd High Schools, and most recently, students in the YMCA Youth Leadership Chattanooga program.