Close to 200 area high school students attended the Floyd County Interagency Transition Fair on Friday, Nov. 8, at Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Floyd County Campus in Rome.

High school students from Floyd County Schools (FCS), who sponsored the event, also were taken on an all-inclusive tour of the college to see the programs GNTC has to offer.

“This is something we do throughout our service areas,” Jason Gamel, director of recruitment said. “It also exposes the students to a local college campus.”

The reason for this is to show high school students college programs close to them that are also affordable said Gamel. The students hailing from Armuchee, Coosa, Model and Pepperell High School were taken through the H Building where they visited booths with local resources which included everything from healthy living to continuing education.

“This prepares them for what they are going to do after the graduate,” Beth Nichols, a FCS coordinator said.   

A mobile career lab from Work Source Georgia was also made available for students. “The lab offers resume assistance and career research,” said Shane Holden who manned the station.

.After their trip through the transition fair, the students walked through healthcare classrooms, saw a welding demonstration and saw equipment in use in the Precision Machining and Manufacturing lab. “It’s through these types of fairs and tours that the colleges programs really get showcased,” Bart Jenkins, instructor of Precision Machining and Manufacturing said.

“In the past year my enrollment has tripled due to the exposure this kind of tour gives and the need for skilled workers,” he said. “Some companies are hiring my students before they even graduate.”