Wilcox County Students recognized for work in the community – 41 NBC News

The program is allowing juniors and seniors to go to school while learning skills to prepare them for a career.

ABBEVILLE, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT) Students at Wilcox County High School are being prepared for the workforce through a program called Work-Based Learning.

The program is allowing juniors and seniors to go to school while learning skills to prepare them for a career. There are currently 45 students in the program.

Its a nationwide program and one of the things they encourage us to do is to try to promote our program by promoting our students, said Sharon Lavender. Each week a student is recognized.

Lavender says many students say the program is helping them think ahead for their next steps after graduation.

Jackson Chastain has been with the program for two years, and was recently recognized for his hard work at Ten Mile Creek Grading and Land Clearing.

Construction now a days everybody needs help sadly, but whenever I got in there it just kind of stuck, I was good at it, I had potential and I was willing to learn, so I stuck with the company and really and truly they stuck with me providing opportunities for me to learn and its just been a good job for me.

Chastain says he grew up surrounded by family who work in the construction industry. So when then the opportunity to work for his grandfathers company presented itself, he took it.

You got some folks who will do what theyre supposed to and not do anything after that, most of the time what I try to do is go above and beyond that by Ill do the job but then Ill actively look for something else to do.

Tim Conner, Assistant Principal of Wilcox High School says, Chastain is a hard worker.

Hes also a very intelligent A plus student and hes one of our outstanding kids here at school.

Wayne Bloodworth is the owner of the company and Chastains Grandfather. According to Bloodworth, Jackson has always loved construction from a young age.

In the vehicle when he was younger he was grandson, until we got to the job, at the job site he was an employee, he did what the other employees did to learn the ropes, said Bloodworth.

Chastain says his next step is to attend college to study Civil Engineering. He also plans on furthering his career in the company.

Original post:
Wilcox County Students recognized for work in the community - 41 NBC News