How much is a living wage in Nacogdoches and Lufkin?
Students at Nacogdoches ISD’s Margie Chumbley Academy for Success have a clearer picture of that figure after participating in a Texas Reality Check with Josh Fleming, Work-Based Learning Coordinator with Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas.
Thursday’s presentation was the first of five workshops Fleming will hold to develop the career readiness skills of the students at Margie Chumbley Academy for Success.
“It is difficult to predict the future, but it is never too early to start planning for it,” Fleming said. “Texas Reality Check will show how much living expenses will cost, the amount of money needed every year to pay those expenses, and the jobs available that can provide a salary to fulfill those needs.
Results can be filtered to display only occupations with a specific education level requirement or connection to a specific career cluster. Students can click on the job titles to explore a wealth of information about each one or click a link to get to the detailed occupation.
On Thursday, during an hour-long presentation, Fleming helped students move through the process. He showed students at MCAS how much different jobs, on average, earn in annual salary. Fleming also showed salary differences in certain occupations and how much additional education or technical training would be required.
For example, a student committing to a year or 18 months of training to obtain a job certification could see significant increases in annual compensation from the beginning, Fleming said.
The four remaining workshops at MCAS will address resumé writing, interviewing skills and personal branding.
Nacogdoches ISD Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas are working in partnership through the Career and Education Outreach Program. Students and faculty participating in the program will gain labor market and employment information about in-demand industry sectors or occupations available in Deep East Texas, such as employability skills, career awareness, career counseling, and career exploration services.
Career awareness activities include providing information on a variety of professions and occupations available, skill and education requirements of each, working conditions and training prerequisites, and job opportunities across a wide range of industry sectors common to East Texas.
