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James T. Farmer Jr. emphasizes industry partnerships as he joins JMCSS
Summary
James T. Farmer Jr., who said he is joining the Jackson Manistee County School System, said he will prioritize industry partnerships, dual-enrollment pathways and work-based learning to connect students to manufacturing jobs that can pay $25–$30 an hour for young graduates.
James T. Farmer Jr., who said he is joining the Jackson Manistee County School System (JMCSS), told an interviewer that his combined manufacturing and technical-education background will guide his work to expand industry partnerships and work-based learning for students.
Farmer described more than 20 years in manufacturing and nine years in technical education as the center of his approach. “I started out as a production scheduler, then a production supervisor. I served as an operations manager, operations coordinator, assistant plant manager,” he said, adding that the combination of industry experience and classroom instruction “equipped me to be able to bring those skills to Jackson Manistee County School System.”
He said JMCSS should “pull in more industry partners and let them know what our young scholars are doing,” so employers can offer work-based learning and observe students’ development of technical and soft skills.
On the outcomes of technical-education pathways, Farmer highlighted dual-enrollment programs that begin in ninth grade and extend through four years of vocational study: “They take 4 years of welding or automotive. They come to us and finish and get the diploma and then they are able to transition right into the workforce.” He added a specific wage example: “Many of them, starting out 25 to 30 dollars an hour, 19 years old, no student loan debt, still living at home with their parents.”
Farmer also addressed perceptions of vocational education, saying technical education can carry a stigma but is fundamentally education and a route to economic mobility.
The transcript records Farmer’s remarks and the interviewer’s prompts but does not include a job title for Farmer at JMCSS, a start date, or details on an official hiring announcement. Farmer noted he chose JMCSS but did not specify a formal position or timeline.
