Decatur Public Schools hosts 5th annual Career Signing Day

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur Public Schools hosted its fifth annual career signing day at Eisenhower High School on Thursday.

Students from both EHS and MacArthur High School were present to sign certificates of completion of a career training program and in some cases a job offer.

"This program celebrates students based on their passions," said Ashley Grayned, DPS Executive Director of Innovative Programs and Strategic Planning. "We'll always need plumbers. We'll need mechanics. We're going to need bus drivers and every different industry makes this world go around."

Programs included opportunities at Memorial Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, Caterpillar and more.

"As a 16-year-old, you don't really know what you want to do," said Calina Jones, a senior at MacArthur. "Going into programs and then confirming like 'Hey, this is what I want to do — this is big time,' and then seeing all the little stuff and being in the hospital and seeing this is what I want to do — and you can confirm from there — it's a big process and very, very important."

The program, just wrapping up its fifth year, has already had over 60 students successfully complete a career training program.

"[We are] giving them real hands-on, real world experience while they're in high school, getting to go to school half the day, work the other half of the day." Grayned added, "Then at the end of their senior year having these job opportunities or opportunities to commit to different programs — that's what it's all about."

While the experience these students are gaining through these programs is important, it is just as important that they are learning what they enjoy to do.

"I always wanted to go into healthcare but I wasn't sure where I wanted to go," said Selena Gaona-Willis, a senior at MacArthur. "Being at the hospital gave me the opportunity to realize I actually want to be a nurse."

Career programs involving trucking and finance will be added to the list of options students will have in the near future.

For more information on the Career Pathway programs offered, click here.