Batten bridges classrooms and industry
PITTSBORO — It’s an oldie-but-goodie, the one about the kid going off to college pursuing a career in the medical field and discovering that the sight of blood is just way too icky, Dr. Kelly Batten offered Aug. 30 during the Chatham Development Briefing at the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center.
The briefing is the Chatham Chamber of Commerce’s annual update from a host of representatives who have their fingers on the pulse of the county’s economic heartbeat.
Batten is the executive director of secondary education and Career Technical Education for Chatham County Schools (CCS). He used his few minutes during the briefing to say quite a bit, including how well the district graded out after a visit by a team from AdvancED, an organization that accredits school districts. AdvancED’s reviewers said CCS is performing well above the world average of 32,000 institutions that serve 20 million students globally. The review team recommended that AdvancED’a board of directors grant continued accreditation to CCS.
“That’s a real testament to what’s going on not just in our school system but within our community,” Batten said. Photo by Nicole Danielle Photography
Tailoring his talking points to the audience, Batten honed in on workforce development, lauding business leaders in the room for doing what they do to make the county a solid place to work. CCS is the largest employer in the county, and the business leaders fill a significant role in helping the district recruit and retain educators, Batten explained.
Batten challenged the business professionals to provide internships for the district’s students, who are navigating schools during a time when there no longer is one side of the building reserved for those heading to college and another side for the ones planning to leave high school and go straight into the workforce.
“They’re all part of the same hallway,” Batten said.
Internships help students connect real-world work with what they’re learning in classrooms, Batten said.
And, quite frankly, internships allow would-be doctors to realize that there might be an equally rewarding career for them somewhere in the humanities, he said.
Published Aug. 31, 2017