Six Vicksburg area high school students learned more about jobs here by shadowing Rotary Club members Thursday.

Rotarian Wally Powell, who is chair of the club’s vocational committee, spearheaded the event. Warren Central students Jacob Davis, a junior, Dayla Campbell, a senior and Ellis Campbell, a sophomore, along with Vicksburg High School sophomores Nina Thuha, Romon Shepherd and Tera Thompson participated.

Blackburn Motors, Vicksburg Convention Center, Shape Up Sisters, the city of Vicksburg mayor’s office and Courtyard by Marriott hosted students.

James “Brother” Blackburn of Blackburn Motors was teamed up with Davis, who is interested in automotive technology.

“I was very interested when I heard that. In fact, I spent a lot of time talking to him about coming to work for us when he graduates,” Blackburn said.

“That’s exactly how this thing should work,” said Chad Shealy, Vicksburg Warren School District superintendent.

Shealy spoke to Rotarians about the district’s focus on producing employable graduates.

“If a student can’t find a job, then we haven’t done ours,” he said.

Partnerships with Hinds Community College, Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University are paving the way for new programs in the district to allow students to earn college credit free of charge before they receive their high school diploma.

“ERDC (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research Development Center) will have 800 jobs it will need to fill in the next five years,” Shealy said, along with several other area companies like Tan-Tec and the proposed Continental Tire project in Clinton, which will need skilled laborers.

He highlighted a number of programs under way in the district, including:

• adding pre-kindergarten classes to give students a head start on reading and the foundation of education.

• through a Google project, providing the ability to connect 200 devices in classrooms.

• providing Chromebooks for each student in the school district.

• expanding the Leader in Me program to all junior highs and below in the district.

“We’re not doing things here the way everyone else is doing them,” Shealy said. “Our goal is for our students to be employable at the highest level of their choosing.”