Lenoir County Public Schools is taking career development to new heights with the Workforce Ignite Lenoir initiative. This program, which focuses on internships, job shadowing, and hands-on industry connections, is part of the district’s ongoing commitment to student career exploration.
Dr. Amy Jones, LCPS Director of Career and Technical Education, highlighted the importance of this approach. “It empowers them to explore their strengths, build essential skills, and imagine a future filled with opportunity,” she said. “During Career Development Month, we are proud to partner with our schools and community to help every student take the next step toward a meaningful career.” The initiative aims to integrate career development into daily learning, ensuring students are prepared for their futures.
The following was said in a release from Lenoir County Public Schools:
Lenoir County schools celebrate career connections beyond Career Development Month
The path toward that future begins long before high school graduation. Pamela Pate, LCPS Middle School Career Development Coordinator, believes early exposure changes lives.
“Career development in middle school offers students exposure to careers they may not know exist,” she said. “At home, you know what your parents do, but you don’t really know what is outside that spectrum.” To help broaden their view, she coordinates industry tours, brings programs like BetaBox to campus, and partners with Lenoir Community College to introduce students to hands-on fields. “We want them to be confident enough to ask questions,” she said.
“Not just ‘how much does this job pay,’ but ‘how do I get there and what does this work mean.’”
Pate’s own story illustrates why exploration matters. “I started out as a dental assistant, and I did not like it,” she said. “Finding something you don’t like is just as valuable as finding something you do.” She went on to earn a degree in biology, worked in research, and later discovered a passion for teaching and STEM. “I have personally learned so much from visiting local industries,” she said. “There were businesses in Kinston I had never stepped into until I took students there.” She described moments when students suddenly connect with a speaker or a career in front of them. “I had three boys at one of our middle schools who hung on every word a Public Services employee said. They told me, ‘When I get to high school, I am going to apply for that internship.’ It sparked something in them they did not know existed.”
As students move into high school, Career Development Coordinators help them turn that spark into direction. At Kinston High School, Ashley Andrews sees her counseling background as an essential part of her work. “My counseling background helps me create a safe space where students feel seen and supported,” she said. “School counseling focuses on academic, career, and social emotional development, and I use that lens to focus on the whole child.” When she stepped into the CDC role, she felt immediately at home. “Being a CDC allows me to focus on the career piece, which is truly my passion,” she said. “I absolutely love helping students feel confident about their plans after high school.”
One project she is especially proud of is reinstating the National Technical Honor Society at Kinston High. “Working with the advisors to bring NTHS back is something we are really proud of,” Andrews said. “NTHS is just one example of the many opportunities that taking a Level I and Level II CTE course can provide.” In her daily work, she helps students prepare résumés, practice interviewing, explore apprenticeships, and meet professionals in fields they may never have considered. “There is an option for everybody,” she said. “My goal is for students to feel confident, no matter which path they choose.”
At North Lenoir High School, Brittany Harrison, the district’s lead CDC, has spent almost twenty years helping students discover what is possible. “So many of our students never get out of our community,” she said. “I used to take my middle school students on industry and college visits because I wanted them to see what was out there.” Those early experiences shaped her approach to career development when she transitioned into the role in 2019. “It was a natural progression for me,” she said. “I always thought it was important to show students what exists beyond their comfort zone.”
Harrison helps to coordinate many of the district’s most visible career programs, such as Careers on Wheels, fifth grade high school visits, and the districtwide job fair. She also supports preparation for apprenticeship interviews and job placement. Her philosophy is straightforward.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” she said. “Every opportunity helps students understand what they want and what they don’t want.”
Central to all of this work is the district’s partnership with local employers. Workforce Ignite Lenoir has strengthened these relationships and created new opportunities for students. “Crown Equipment has been an incredible partner,” Andrews said. “The apprenticeship program gives students a direct path into a skilled career.” The connection with Kinston Public Services has also grown. “Some of our students hear about public utilities or engineering for the first time when Kinston Public Services comes to speak,” Pate added. “And sometimes you can see right away that it clicks.”
LCPS students have also gained new opportunities with the Lenoir County Council on Aging, the Arts Council, the Down East Wood Ducks, and several small businesses that have opened their doors to job shadowing and internships. “It could be two students or twenty,” Andrews said.
“Any chance for them to step inside a workplace is a chance for them to grow.”
Dr. Jones sees these partnerships as essential to LCPS’s mission. “Our Career Development Coordinators collaborate closely with Career and Technical Education teachers, school counselors, and school administrators to ensure students are connected to experiences that align with their goals or help them discover new interests,” she said. “Through the Workforce Ignite Lenoir initiative, students participate in résumé workshops, interview practice sessions, workforce-focused field trips, competitive events, and many other experiences that prepare them for life after graduation.”
Across the district, students are gaining a clearer understanding of their own future paths.
Elementary students begin with early awareness activities. Middle school students learn to ask questions and explore new fields. High school students prepare résumés, interact with employers, train for apprenticeships, and step into real workplaces. Career Development Day offers a national moment of recognition, but in LCPS the work happens all year long. As Dr. Jones summarized, “Career and Technical Education opens doors for students, and Workforce Ignite Lenoir places them on a focused and intentional pathway toward their future.”
Career development in Lenoir County Public Schools is rooted in exploration, empowerment, and community partnership. As students continue discovering what inspires them, the district remains committed to guiding them toward futures filled with opportunity and purpose.