High School seniors participate in National Technical College Signing Day at PTC

PINELLAS COUNTY – Taking that next step after high school can be at best challenging and at worst downright scary.  But for nearly 150 of Pinellas County’s high school seniors, they know exactly what they want to do.

These young adults want to get the training they need to be career ready in just a year.  They understand that in today’s job market those with the skills that employers are seeking immediately are the ones that will end up with jobs right out of school.

To show their commitment to that idea, students came together on both Pinellas Technical College (PTC) campuses to sign their letters of intent.

National Technical College Signing Day is a professional, sports-style signing event where students commit to the technical college. Students were welcomed on each campus by college staff and special guests alike.

Each campus held its own event complete with guest speakers, a signing ceremony and a luncheon provided by each campuses culinary program.  All students on both campuses were rewarded for their participation with a $200 scholarship. Additionally, every program offered a $500 scholarship to one lucky recipient.

After being welcomed by Jake Prokop, director of the Clearwater campus and Carl Lavender, managing director of Workforce Innovation, students on the Clearwater campus listened to inspiring words from several special guests.

School Board member Joanne Lentino gave a welcoming speech to the students while Christy Noad, a territory Manager of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, spoke on behalf of the industry.  Several student speakers including Tiffany Moore of the Automotive Service Technology program, Michelle Priddy from the Administrative Office Specialist program and Samuel Schaefer of the Commercial Food and Culinary Arts program shared their college experiences and how PTC has impacted their lives.

The St. Petersburg campus had a variety of guest speakers as well.  Students were welcomed by Boe Norwood, director of the St. Petersburg campus and by Mark Hunt, executive director of Adult and Technical Education for all of Pinellas County Schools.

Students enjoyed inspiring speeches and words of wisdom from Jay Allison, president of Tampa Bay Trane, Rene Flowers, chairperson of the Pinellas County School Board and community leader Dr. Chris Warren.  They shared a wealth of knowledge and congratulated students on their choice of a technical education.

Perhaps even more impactful was a speech from Andy Andrade Powery, a current student in the Pharmacy Technology program.  He shared how the education he is receiving and the experience he has had at PTC have changed the path of his life.

PTC offers world-class career and technical education in more than 40 exciting career areas.  They also offer online and distance learning programs, as well as continuing education courses and commercial training services. It is at the forefront of education for these types of jobs.

Providing a real world, hands-on education with instructors that have worked in the fields in which they currently instruct, PTC produces highly skilled workers in a variety of industries and disciplines who will make an impact from the moment they are hired.  A hands-on, focused education on current best practices is the key to our success.

For more information, please call (727) 893-2500.