Oxford Schools Place Students on Paths to Success

Career and technical education proves key to a thriving workforce in North Mississippi.

By Teree Caruthers on October 28, 2023

Bruce Newman

With a robust career and technical education (CTE) program that includes 17 different career pathways, the Oxford School District plays a vital role in the Oxford-Lafayette County region’s workforce development efforts. In fact, more than 40% of the high school students are enrolled in CTE courses in Oxford schools.

“We make sure we are exposing students to the many opportunities that exist after graduation,” says Steve Hurdle, the director of college and career readiness for the Oxford School District.

“We’ve done a great job, over the years in our district, of educating students academically and helping them prepare for opportunities on a postsecondary and collegiate level. In the last few years, we’ve really dialed into our responsibility to also prepare students for careers in the workforce.” 

A Smart Start 

Hurdle says the district begins its college and career readiness preparation as early as the middle school years. 

“Beginning in sixth grade,” Hurdle says. “We do a deeper dive into career exploration and help students start thinking about what their interests are, what their aptitudes are, what their personalities are, and how that all fits into potential career paths. Then in eighth grade, we encourage them to select a course of study to pursue in high school that is aligned to a career path.” 

At the high school level, the CTE program offers classroom courses as well as hands-on and work-based learning opportunities to give students a head start for local, in-demand careers.

In 2022, the district unveiled its Center for Applied Engineering, which offers CTE programs in engineering, construction, electrical wiring, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. 

“We select our career pathways at our high school based on a comprehensive regional needs assessment,” Hurdle says. “We partner with our businesses and industry, the local community college, and other stakeholders in the region to make sure that the language that we’re using is in alignment with what they need and what they are looking for.” 

Bruce Newman

Powerful Partnerships 

One such stakeholder is the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation (EDF). A partnership with the school district led to the creation of a new position at the EDF – director of community and workforce development – to help strengthen the relationship between the schools and business community. 

“This position is meant to strengthen the ties between businesses, workforce development, economic development and educators,” says Duncan Gray, director of community and workforce development at the EDF.

“My job is to keep open the lines of communication and build that partnership within the community so that business and industry begin to profit from the next wave of talent and students can explore various local career pathways and opportunities.” 

Tanya Robertson

Ready for Work 

Gray says one of his first initiatives in his new role was to establish an internship program to give students hands-on training while connecting them to jobs with local employers. To help fill the gaps brought on by a national nursing shortage, the EDF helped to pilot a certified nursing assistant (CNA) internship program for high school seniors. 

“The CNA program is a ramp for these students to get into hospital work,” Gray says. “Some will go on to LPN [licensed practical nurse] programs, and some will go on to get their RN [registered nurse] license, but they can start with this program, which brings them into the hospital every Friday for training and classes.”

“This program is another example of collaboration between community stakeholders – which includes one of our largest regional employers, Baptist Memorial Hospital, the Oxford School District, the EDF and the Tennessee Valley Authority – working together to build out this next wave of the workforce.” 

Baptist Memorial also helps provide real-world experiences to students at the Oxford-Lafayette School of Applied Technology (known locally as the TECH), a vocational school that welcomes students from both Lafayette High School and Oxford High School to study programs from health science to construction.