TENNESEE VALLEY, Ala. (WHNT) — Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) is partnering with some school districts in North Alabama to support student career development.
MTM’s “Leading Industry Growth by Helping Teachers” (LIGHT) Program will provide industry professionals to school partners within Morgan County and Huntsville City.
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing along with Morgan County Schools Technology Park and Huntsville City Schools Center for Technology recently announced that the program will be put into place.
“We heard from our education partners that one of the biggest challenges in delivering consistent, quality career tech education, was attracting instructors with industry experience,” said MTM Senior Vice President, David Fernandes. “MTM saw the opportunity to make a long-term investment in our schools and our future workforce by providing that kind of instructional support.”
The LIGHT Program will provide an instructor’s aide whose role will focus on classroom support by sharing industry knowledge and technical skills to teachers and students in their partner schools.
MTM Group Leader Courtney Franklin will serve in the role and will rotate between the two school districts. Initially, the partnership will launch in Morgan County Schools at Brewer High School and MCS Technology Park, and at Huntsville City Schools in the new Center for Technology.
“We are excited to partner with Mazda Toyota Manufacturing through the LIGHT Program, which will bring real-world industry expertise directly into our classrooms,” offered Tracie Turrentine,Superintendent of Morgan County Schools. “It’s an incredible opportunity to bridge education and industry for the benefit of our students and community.”
“The LIGHT Program is an innovative approach to education that connects today’s workforce with students and instructors,” said Zac McWhorter, Career Technical Director at Huntsville City Schools. “By providing an experienced employee, this program enables us to improve workplace simulation, giving our students excellent exposure to potential job opportunities.”
Franklin will support Huntsville City and Morgan County schools for up to three school years; eventually, other school partners will have the opportunity to participate. MTM’s long-term strategy for the LIGHT Program is to reach as many school districts as possible through rotating Franklin’s role to new schools, and welcoming additional support as the program grows.
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