Written by Joy Galon
When Catie Lees’ Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) students stepped into the Georgia Emergency Medical Services Association’s Cadaver Lab, they weren’t just observing healthcare; they were practicing it on real human bodies. Thanks to a $600 grant from HireSmart Cares, students at Jackson County’s Empower College & Career Center received hands-on...
Written by Joy Galon
The student debt crisis has pushed many families to rethink the traditional college path. Madison County High School senior Gavin Heath never had to rethink it. He's already on a different track entirely, building welding skills and business experience that will launch him into a debt-free career straight out of...
Written by Joy Galon
Local machine shops have a problem: they can't find enough workers who know CNC plasma cutters and laser cutting technology. Jackson County's Empower College and Career Center has a solution. Thanks to a $4,439 grant from HireSmart Cares, students in Don Loggins' mechatronics program are now working with a commercial-grade...
Written by Joy Galon
"When I got over my fear of public speaking, my income went up, my connections went up, life started to change for me," Anne Lackey told Madison County High School students. Now she's teaching them the same skills that transformed her career. Lackey, co-founder of HireSmart Cares, a local nonprofit...
Written by Joy Galon
The first time students at Thomson High School pick up a drone controller, their hands are tense and uncertain. By the time they master complex flight courses, they realize they are learning much more than how to fly. They are uncovering career paths they never knew existed in their rural...
Written by Joy Galon
First-grade students at West Jackson Elementary School are using vegetables from their school garden for nutritious meals with the help of a $1,170 grant from HireSmart Cares to fund the creation of a mobile kitchen cart. The grant enables teacher Stephanie Westhafer to build "The Sprout & Spoon Cart," a...