November 19th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

The Allegany County Public School System hosted the 13^th Annual Focus on the Future Showcase on November 13 and 14, 2018, at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in the multi-purpose building.  The showcase targets all seventh grade students and strives to provide them with information, course suggestions, college or trade school options, and understanding about the job market for their career cluster of interest.  Focus on the Future also promotes economic growth in Allegany County by keeping graduates locally employed with the necessary expertise to enter the world of work.

            This year’s showcase once again featured auditorium-style presentations revolving around each of Maryland’s ten career clusters: Arts, Media, and Communication; Business; Construction and Development; Consumer Services, Hospitality, and Tourism; Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Systems; Health and Biosciences; Human Resource Services; Information Technology; Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology; and Transportation Technologies. These clusters are groupings of interrelated occupations that represent a full range of career opportunities.  Local businesses participated in the event by providing each cluster with hands-on experiences for students that introduced them to a variety of workplace skills.

            This year’s participating businesses included: (Arts, Media, Communication) Career Center’s Graphic Communications, Mt. City Center for the Arts; ACM’s Multimedia Technology, Forever Media (BigFroggy 105.3 WFRB, Rocky 106 WRQE, Happy 105.7 WTBO), Allegany Arts Council, Allegany Media, Fur Baby Fine Art; (Business) M&T Bank, Act 1^st FCU, ACM’s Business and Economics Division, Webstaraunt Store, First United Bank and Trust; (Construction & Development) IBEW Electrical Workers Local 307, Operating Engineers, Career Center’s Carpentry (Consumer Services, Hospitality & Tourism) Oscar’s Restaurant, WMHS Food and Nutrition Services, Career Center’s Culinary Arts, Cracker Barrel, ACM’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Services; (Environmental, Agricultural & Natural Resources) Potomac State’s Environmental Science, Potomac State’s Equine, Ag and Forestry, Frostburg State University Recreation and Parks Management and Adventure Sports Management, ACM’s Forestry, Rocky Gap’s Scales and Tails DNR; (Health & Biosciences) PharmaCare Network, ACM Respiratory Therapy, ACM Medical Lab Technician, PLTW Biomedical Sciences, ACM Massage Therapy, FSU Athletic Training and Exercise and Sports Science, WMHS Nursing; (Human Resource Services) Allegany County Education Association, ACPS Teacher of the Year, DHMH Environmental Health, WMHS Human Resources, Career Center’s Law Enforcement, Cumberland Fire Department, WCI, FSU Department of Educational Professions; (Information Technology) Career Center’s IT Networking, Willetts Systems, ACM Cyber Security, FSU CSIT Department, First United Bank and Trust, WMHS Information Technology, IBM Application Development and Cybersecurity and Biometrics, ACM’s Cybersecurity; (Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology) Carl Belt, Inc., Aircon, Career Center’s Robotics, Maryland Extension Office, American Woodmark Corporation, City of Cumberland; (Transportation Technology) Maryland State Police, Career Center’s Auto Body and Auto Tech, ACM’s Diesel, Jet Blue pilot.

            Next year’s Focus on the Future Showcase is scheduled for November 5 & 6, 2019.