By: ACHS Journalism Staff
On Tuesday, February 20th, the STEM Roadshow came to visit Appomattox County High School. Held in Mr. Garrett’s auto garage, 2 representatives came in to talk about the automotive industry, how Nascar vehicles work, and how they are built. Additionally, they gave details on how the recruitment process works for associated trades.
Highlights of the presentation include representative Jim Derham discussing modifying cars, different generations of mustangs, getting to build for Nascar, and so much more.
Jim Derham shared how he got into the field. He said, “my son is the one who inspired me at the start of doing this, I saw his passion for working with his hands and I gained that passion.”
He also said, “ People should do what they love”. When asked about the biggest problems facing the trade industry, he said, “ The skilled labor shortage is our biggest problem, people do like to drive cars but not make them”. His last comment was, “ By all means, students should do what they are good at, no matter what it is.”
Student Campbell Brown also added,” we learned about air filtration, RPM, and gas-to-air ratios.”
During the presentation, the speaker also talked about trades that students can go to after high school. Clay Moore said,” He talked about being a mechanic, going into engineering, and welding.”
Currently, trades have a relatively small amount of youth join them, even though the opportunity for career and pay advancement exists.
Megan Graves, who coordinated the event for students, said that she's there to introduce students to training opportunities for different trades within their reach. She mentioned how she can help students be aware of the different pathway connections that they don't realize are out there.
She said, “students often wonder how their school subjects help them for their chosen career path. I'm here to help them be aware of the possibilities that come from having learned science, math, etc.”
When asked what opportunities she saw for students in the coming years, she responded that there would likely be more trade opportunities coming due to the current shortages in plumbers, electricians, and mechanics.
