Students turn knowledge into experience

Punxsutawney Phil will not be the only one interested in a shadow on Groundhog Day. This year the famous groundhog will share his day in the spotlight with students across the nation and locally as they celebrate National Job Shadow Day.

On Feb. 2, local students will tour the Wal-Mart store on St. Augustine Road to observe every department from management to shipping and receiving. As the students go through each department, Wal-Mart employees will talk about work ethics and how it relates to what they are learning in school today, said Bill Tillman, VSU's School-to-Career coordinator.

Valdosta State University's Office of Cooperative Education's School-to-Career Program and the Valdosta Area School-to-Work Partnership want the job shadowing experience to last more than a day and will observe the month of February as Groundhog Job Shadow Month.

According to Tillman, the goal of Groundhog Job Shadow Month is to provide students in Valdosta and surrounding counties opportunities to discover how the knowledge and skills learned in school are put into action in the workplace.

?Students can apply what they are being taught in school to the real world, which helps them develop career goals,? Tillman said.

VSU faculty and staff members have volunteered to participate in Groundhog Job Shadow Month by allowing high school students to shadow them through their daily activities or observe a college class.

?By participating in Groundhog Job Shadow Month, VSU is helping build a better community and a stronger workforce,? Tillman said.

For more information about Groundhog Job Shadow Month, contact Bill Tillman at 229?219?1334.