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Franklin County career coach outlines expanded middle‑school CTE experiences and pre‑apprenticeship plans
Summary
Whitney Davis, Franklin County Schools career coach, told the school board the district is expanding career assessments, JA BizTown experiences, Paxton Patterson college-and-career labs, and a TAP pre‑apprenticeship application to increase middle‑school exposure to career and technical education pathways.
Whitney Davis, Franklin County School District career coach, told the board she is expanding career education in middle schools to increase the number of students who take Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings in high school.
Davis said the district uses state-required career assessments and a sequence of classroom and out‑of‑building experiences to give students hands‑on exposure to careers. "The goal of a career coach ... is to implement strong and effective career classes in each middle school, ultimately increasing the number of students taking advantage of the opportunities offered at our high schools and becoming successful and productive citizens," Davis said.
Davis described three program areas: assessments, curriculum and experiences. She said Franklin County administers a career assessment in eighth grade in keeping with Tennessee Code annotations that require students in seventh or eighth grade to complete a career assessment. Curriculum highlights include JA BizTown for sixth graders, a Paxton Patterson set of college-and-career labs for seventh and eighth graders and modular career pathway units.
On JA BizTown Davis said students complete a capstone at a simulated town in Nashville; the trip requires volunteers and significant preparation. "It takes 14 volunteers so we'd love to have you volunteer for that," she said. She described Paxton Patterson labs as offering 18 different modules and said students complete a 10‑day module in their chosen pathway, citing examples such as robotics, culinary arts and health science.
Davis also summarized hands‑on industry experiences: targeted campus lab visits (including a visit to Middle Tennessee State University where students mixed and tested concrete), a statewide "Be Pro Be Proud" mobile experience with students trying equipment such as welding and lineman simulators, and participation in SkillsUSA middle‑school competitions. She said the district adjusted trip selection to align visits with students' career‑assessment results so visits provide more specific laboratory and technical exposure rather than general campus tours.
At the elementary level, Davis said she sends a biweekly newsletter, Career Talk, which highlights career pathways and supplies print and digital resources for teachers. She also said the district is taking fifth graders to tour high‑school CTE classes to increase early exposure.
Davis told the board she is preparing an application and memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a TAP pre‑apprenticeship in teaching, a step toward a "grow your own" apprenticeship pipeline. "I'm working on the application and the MOU for that," she said.
The presentation included requests for volunteer support for JA BizTown and a note that some initiatives depend on external partners and logistics. Davis invited board members to observe the programs and to volunteer for off‑site experiences.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; Davis’ remarks were informational.
