SAN DIEGO, Texas — San Diego High School was the place to be Wednesday for a lot of students trying to figure out what they want to do once they graduate in a couple of months.
The San Diego High School gym was packed with students from Jim Hogg, Benavides and San Diego school districts as they held a career expo designed to connect students with companies and industries who need workers.
The industry representatives 3News spoke with Wednesday morning said they are hoping that some high school students might be interested in a great career, believing their industry is a perfect start for a lot of them.
Allison Garcia is a senior at San Diego High School. She is joining the U.S. Navy, but she’s already thinking about a second career in the prison system.
"I’m trying to plan out my life," Garcia said.
Kelly Bustillo with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said the prison system is looking to hire right now. She told 3News applicants could be working inside a prison within two weeks of graduating.
"This gives them that experience before they join the police academy or go for Border Patrol, or go for the federal prison system, or a federal agent, and they have the experience," Bustillo said. "It gives them a foot in the door to law-enforcement and they get here and say, 'Yes, I want to stay with us,' or, 'This is my stepping stone.' We have people do it all the time.”
Jim Hogg ISD Superintendent Susana Garza believes their job training programs are working to prepare students to move right into the workforce.
”We are preparing them for the jobs that are out there," Garza said. "Gone are the days when they’re just leaving with a high school diploma. They’re leaving with a certificate, a welding certificate. They are career ready. They are ready to go.”
Cruz Leal, a registered nurse at the La Paloma Nursing Center, said she reminds everyone that students are going to be part of the future workforce sooner than later.
"We are kind of hoping to recruit some people for the nursing industry, occupational therapy and physical therapy," Leal said. "They are our future so we’re excited to be here."
The students also heard from Julian Alvarez, Labor Commissioner for the Texas Workforce Commission. He told them the State's continued economic growth depends on their job skills that they are getting in high school.
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