Hamblen County highlights Future Ready Expo, expands CTE ambassador program

The Hamblen County Board of Education heard a detailed report on the district’s Future Ready Expo, a career-exploration event that drew about 2,400 eighth graders from seven counties and 83 employer vendors.

District vocal music teacher Josh Smith and CTE coordinator Emily Darnell told the board the Expo is intended to expose students to both local jobs and national partners so eighth graders can better match interests and aptitudes to high-school pathways. "It's a major part of our continuum of career exploration," Darnell said, describing the Expo as a bridge between exploratory K–5 experiences and the pathway choices students make in grades 6–8.

The presentation emphasized local workforce partnerships. Darnell said Walter State Community College and Oak Ridge National Laboratory participated, and that the event purposefully invited schools from surrounding counties because the district’s labor pool is regional. The staff reported 83 vendors in a two‑and‑a‑half month planning window and said the goal is to increase vendor participation to 100 next year.

District staff also introduced the CTE ambassador program, a group of student representatives drawn from high‑school CTE programs who serve as tour guides, advisory‑council student members and event representatives. Multiple student ambassadors — representing health science, automotive, agriculture, engineering and hospitality programs — introduced themselves and their areas of study.

Board members and staff singled out the return and growth of hands‑on construction instruction at the high school level. Instructor Jimmy Clark and students were recognized for work on campus projects, including a coffee bar in the library, and for rebuilding a CTE classroom; the board praised the program’s role in preparing students for local employment.

District staff framed the Expo and ambassador program as efforts to reduce mismatch between student aspirations and available local jobs, and as recruitment tools for employers who say they need local workers. The board thanked staff and community partners for organizing the event and encouraged continued outreach to businesses and higher‑education partners.

Details: event attendance (2,400 eighth graders), vendor count (83), participating counties (seven) and a target of 100 vendors next year were provided by staff during the presentation.