Career Connect Showcase Brings Students and Local Businesses Together

Plattsburgh, NY – May 12, 2015 ? Champlain Valley Education Services (CVES) has teamed up with 5 local school districts and Mountain Lake PBS to host the Career Connect Showcase on May 14, 2015 at Peru Junior Senior High School. The Career Connect Showcase aims to provide high school and middle school students with the opportunity to learn more about future career prospects, especially in the North Country.

Students at Beekmantown, Chazy, Northern Adirondack, Peru and Saranac have spent the school year researching 16 Career Clusters (groups of careers such as engineering or finance that share common features). At the Career Connect Showcase, students will share their research projects on Career Clusters, participate in a soft skills workshop, and receive some words of wisdom from area workforce development experts. The students will also connect with representatives from local businesses and organizations who will provide students with information about the training and education required to prepare for various career opportunities.

Mika Mannix, a high school English teacher at Saranac Central School serving on the planning committee for the event said, “The Career Showcase offers both students and businesses a great opportunity. Businesses can meet students who have the desire and potential to be prospective employees and provide them with first-hand knowledge about careers these businesses offer. Students have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with local businesses and to explore various career pathways. This will provide students with an understanding of their local access to these obtainable opportunities in the North Country.”

The Career Connect committee, with representatives from Mountain Lake PBS, CVES and the 5 school districts, has been meeting monthly at CVES?s Instructional Services Center to plan the May 14th event at Peru Central School.

“Through this initiative, Mountain Lake PBS is fostering the business and community partnerships that will ensure our students have the necessary skills to take their place in the 21st century global economy,” said Jane Owens, Director of Education & Outreach at Mountain Lake PBS.

Mountain Lake PBS is committed to educating the youth of our region, and recently launched an initiative titled Career Crosswalks. The Career Crosswalks website (http://crosswalks.mountainlake.org ) provides a platform for students and parents to learn about local businesses, and the paths workers took to employment. It also serves as a resource for teachers and guidance counselors to help bring career education media and materials into the classroom.

About CVES

Champlain Valley Educational Services (CVES), one of 37 BOCES in New York State, is committed to serving our region’s many needs. Through the services it offers, CVES accomplishes its goals with the cooperation of its boards of education, school superintendents and other component school district personnel.

CVES provides career preparation, special education, instructional services, administrative support, and professional development for educators, and is a valuable source of assistance to its 17 component school districts as they strive to keep pace with technical advancements and in stride with economic and social uncertainties and change.

As a result, the relationship between CVES and its 17 component school districts is truly a “Commitment to Excellence.”

About Mountain Lake PBS

Mountain Lake PBS produces high quality programs for local and worldwide audiences, reaching over 3.9 million viewers in New York, Vermont, Quebec and Ontario. The station also provides a host of education and outreach services for learners of all ages and devotes at least eight hours a day to programming for children.

Mountain Lake PBS’ mission is to celebrate and strengthen the civic and cultural life of the Mountain Lake region by providing distinctive telecommunications programs and services that inform, educate, involve and entertain.

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