Wallace Community College Selma & Alabama Power host Trades Day

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

Hundreds of high school seniors get exposed to some of high-paying career opportunities that exist in the workforce for people who are skilled in a trade.

Calhoun High School senior Deshanna Mason — is planning to join the military after graduation.
But the kind of pay she heard was available for people — skilled in a trade — really got her attention.

“It kind of did. They said a lot, a lot of interesting things about the career field in electricity and Alabama Power,” said Mason.

“These are all thriving wages,” said Jason Watters with Alabama Power.

“One thing that we wanted to be intentional about was not highlighting just jobs, these are careers, these are career paths.”

Career paths highlighted at Trades Day at Wallace Community College Selma.

The event featured the Alabama Experience — the state’s first mobile Career Expo — and Alabama Power.

“You have various different builder trades being highlighted today. From painters, to brick layers, to line workers, to welders, pipe fitters, so on and so on,” said Watters.

Trades people can get trained to do — on the Wallace campus.

“There are many opportunities right here in the Black Belt to educate our students, get them prepared for that workforce, being out there, being able to sustain their families,” said WCCS Director of Student Success Jennifer Reynolds.

And although Trades Day didn’t change the immediate plans for her future — Mason says the event did opened her eyes about the opportunities that are available after graduation.

“I see this as a good career field to actually start off with coming out of high school. But I have another path,” said Mason.

Students from Lowndes, Perry, Wilcox, Autauga and Dallas counties — attended the event.