Over 17,000 students, 1,000 teachers, and 2,000 parents across twelve school districts received information about high-demand, high-growth careers in the Spokane Region. Industries focused on included Health Care, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Construction, and Business and Professional Services. The culminating event for the program was the Career Exploration Days in which 1,300 junior and senior-high students from 18 schools got to participate in hands on interactive activities that provided insight into potential careers. Watch a 3 minute video taken at the event.

Participation in the event prompted one student to comment, "I knew what I wanted to do, but didn't know how to get there.  Now I do." and one teacher to say, "It was an eye opener for a few of my students. Many were surprised at the careers available in the Spokane area."

The Teaching the Teachers workshops are the premier teacher events for the Career Awareness Campaign. These workshops involve two parts: industry and academia. Participants spend the mornings at a local company learning about the company, types of positions in the organization, and what the organization is looking for in their new hires. They are then given a tour of the facilities so that teachers can see close up what these positions do and the type of environment their students might potentially work in. The second half of the workshop revolves around academics and the education required to enter these types of jobs and careers. Teachers are taken to a local higher education institution where they are given an overview of the relevant programs as well as a tour of the facilities. Teachers are generally asked to participate in some sort of activity so that they can understand the skills that their students, coming out of high school, need to have in order to succeed at the post-secondary level. It gives them a practical approach to the curriculum they teach. Over the past year, Greater Spokane incorporated has held seventeen workshops with partner companies and post-secondary institutions.

Greater Spokane Incorporated is planning for next year with four teacher workshops already scheduled for the summer. The goal is to expand the reach of the campaign to a broader audience in the Educational Services District #101 which services over 100,000 7th-12th graders. Our goal for teachers is to expand the workshops to week long summer externships providing an even more meaningful experience that will give them the tools to develop practical curriculum. The Greater Spokane Incorporated workforce staff is also looking at other industries that are high demand high growth in our region. Green workforce in particular is a hot topic and one we are incorporating into the campaign.

Greater Spokane Incorporated's Career Awareness Campaign is meant to spark the interest and desire of youth in grades 7 to 12, to become aware of the career opportunities and training programs that await them. The campaign is also aimed at parents, teachers, and counselors to provide them with information and create an awareness of the career and training opportunities available to their children and students. If your business is interested in hosting an educator tour, or for more information on this program, visit www.greaterspokanecareers.org or email Shelly O'QuinN (LINK).