As Union County grows economically, opportunities for students parallel that growth. Food City, a business staple in the Maynardville community, recently expanded in size and offerings, generating many needed services and products in the county. Not only was this business expansion a benefit for the patrons it serves, new doors opened for working-age Union County students as well.
Food City in Maynardville held their Grand Reopening in July, showcasing the addition of more than 9,000 square feet added to the retail space, including a Starbucks cafe, a fresh food bar, Asian Wok, brick pizza oven, hickory smoker, fresh sushi menu, a specialty cake shop and 75 new job opportunities for the area. This expansion created exciting employment options for many Union County students.
The young people of Union County have long considered Food City a viable employment option since the store opened in 2008. Over the last 16 years, countless young adults have received their start in the workforce at this local store, earning an income, contributing to the community and experiencing the accountability that accompanies employment.
In 2015, Food City and Union County High School (UCHS) formally teamed together to provide students with employment opportunities, on-the-job training, and employability skills through the State of Tennessee’s educational Work Based Learning program, a workforce readiness program that has generated great successes for students throughout the years.
Generating a network of industry professionals is essential to the mission of UCHS College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) programs to immerse students in their industry of choice and to give them an edge before entering into their future career field. The school’s CCTE program teachers strive to train students for specific career and industry skills that will better equip them as they enter post-secondary education, industry specific training or the workforce.
Whether students are training to become a diesel mechanic, a botanist, a chief financial officer, a computer systems analyst or an engineer, the social and interpersonal skills derived from a student’s initial employment is vital to the development of foundational skills in any occupation. Food City has been instrumental in helping teachers expand the views of students and offering real employment experiences in a professional setting that are a far cry different from a typical day at school. Food City’s manager, Scott Inklebarger, and his team have always been a reliable and constant resource for granting students experiences that help propel them onward in their future careers.
The recent growth at Food City generates new hope and a fresh perspective for the growth of students in Union County. With the recent addition of a Culinary Arts program at UCHS, students will be seeking more hands-on opportunities in professional food service settings outside the school where they may put their learned skills from the classroom to the test and demonstrate mastery in this trade or profession. The new Culinary Arts teacher, Zack Hodge, is excited about the talents of his students and is eager to work directly with Food City in the bakery, deli, Starbucks cafe and fresh food bar as they explore cultural cuisine, creative bakery design and culinary artistry.
Hodge states, “This course prepares prospective student workers with the basic skills needed to work in the food industry, from knowledge of baking, fine knife work, butchering, and even an understanding of how to operate commercial kitchen and butchery equipment safely.”
Hodge knows not every student will leave his class with aspirations to become a chef, but he is confident the students taking the course will leave having the prerequisite skills needed to work with and around food and to perform at a high level.
The collaboration between Food City in Maynardville and UCHS offers many lucrative opportunities for UCHS students. Whether students are seeking to expand their career-related skills or simply desire to earn an income, this partnership is a great contribution to the education of our young people in the county. UCHS appreciates partners like Scott Inklebarger and the Food City team. These hands-on work experiences help students form foundational knowledge of the workplace and how to work among the public, within a team and for a corporation. Building these employability skills is vital to our workforce development in the county, the state of Tennessee and in America.
Thank you, Food City!
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a partner with Union County High School’s Work-Based Learning program, please complete the Google form in the link at: https://forms.gle/rPfXEZQwfUwH5SDz9.