High schoolers looking to explore career pathways? Worlds of Work could help

Darryl Jones, a Leon County School Board member and deputy director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, visited the Tuscaloosa event. He said bringing the model back to Tallahassee ensured that the future workforce can be prepared to support the local community.

“The beauty of the North Florida Worlds of Work is that it is based on what we know are the targeted industries of which the greatest opportunity for job creation is found,” Jones said. “And to be able to identify businesses in our community who are willing to make an intentional investment in workforce prep with our high-school students is a long-term goal and shows the prioritization of keeping talent at home.”

The industries or “worlds,” represented include construction, education, energy, engineering, healthcare, transportation, public safety, technology and more. Melton said the goal is for students to explore the possibilities so they can find an option that sticks with them, but also so they can understand the process of starting in a career.

“The whole point is to expose them to worlds they’ve never really even considered or know what kind of jobs would be in that world or industry,” Melton said. “When they leave, they’ve got different ideas, and they know the employers and they know about salaries and education requirements they might or might not have.”