The Workforce of Tomorrow Is in Today’s Classrooms

When Aurelia Celestine and Keith Lee of EXCELth visited Ms. Jones’s class at Edna Karr High School on September 10, they found students eager to participate. The students asked thoughtful questions and shared their ideas. Afterward, both speakers praised their engagement and Ms. Jones’s skill in connecting the visit to what students were learning.

For EXCELth, the classroom visit was part of a sustained commitment to helping young people explore careers. Since 2022, students have learned about work in clinical settings and in the departments that make patient care possible, including human resources, behavioral health, dental services, and quality improvement. This year, EXCELth also participated in the YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement Career Expo and hosted a two-day externship that gave educators a firsthand look at healthcare careers they could discuss with their students.

EXCELth’s involvement shows how much an employer can offer at different points in a student’s journey. A conversation in a classroom can spark an interest. A career fair can introduce jobs a student has never heard of. A workplace visit or internship can help that student test an interest and begin building skills.

That is the purpose of Future Connect in partnership with YouthForce NOLA to serve high school students in Orleans Parish. Future Connect is also a part of JA’s wider-serving JA Future Ready initiative. Through career speakers, workplace visits, job shadows, career fairs, and other experiences with employers, Future Ready helps high school students across 13 parishes understand the work available in Southeast Louisiana and the educational pathways that can lead to it.

These connections matter when students are choosing courses and considering what comes after graduation. Hearing directly from professionals helps them ask more informed questions: What does this job involve? What training does it require? What other roles exist in this industry? For students who have had little opportunity to meet people in a field, those answers can open a path to a high-wage, high-growth career close to home.

They also help build economic mobility. Young people need access to career information, professional relationships, and experiences that help them turn an interest into a plan. Employers need opportunities to share what their industries require and to get to know the talent growing in local schools. EXCELth’s commitment—from hosting interns to meeting students at Edna Karr—shows what that investment can look like.

We invite industry partners to engage with high school students through JA Future Ready across Southeast Louisiana. Speak with a class, welcome students into your workplace, share the skills your field needs, or help them practice for an interview. Your time could help a student discover a career path and take the next step toward a future here at home.

To learn more, visit jagno.org/future-ready, or sign up to volunteer.