One of the Vicksburg Warren School District’s favorite mantras is its goal for each and every student to graduate prepared to take on one of the four Es — employed, enrolled, enlisted or at work as an entrepreneur.

It is because of those goals that the district has worked so hard to create the career academies to give students real world experience into career fields that interest them.

Students are job shadowing, exploring careers and gaining real skills that will enable them to follow their dreams of pursuing higher education with a set plan or enter the workforce ready to hit the ground running.

Of all the programs — and there are a lot of them — the one that is having the biggest impact on students and the community as a whole is the dual-enrollment nursing program.

Seniors at Warren Central and Vicksburg take two semesters of nursing courses for free while in high school and then graduate with their CNA — certification as a nursing assistant. Then, they students are only the summer and fall semesters at Hinds away from their LPN — licensed practical nursing degree.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for an LPN in the U.S. is a little more than $44,000 a year and the industry is expected to see an above average growth of 12 percent by 2026 with 340 LPN vacancies expected in Mississippi each year.

The nursing program that is being offered is changing lives. Students that might not have been able to afford college can now begin working as CNAs to pay for their LPN schooling and begin an in-demand career that pays well. Then, if they want to continue to pursue further education they can work as LPNs while getting their RN — registered nursing degree.

Education used to be about sitting in a desk in a square classroom learning facts and information out of books. While that is important and fundamental, what VWSD is doing is creating opportunities for students to succeed from day one after they walk across the stage at graduation.

With programs like this, the four Es aren’t just a goal. They are a reality. VWSD has started seeing a constant stream of visitors coming through to see Leader in Me, the career academies and River City Early College, where students graduate high school with an associates degree and high school diploma.

The bond referendum that was passed by voters in Vicksburg and Warren County at the end of March will enable the district to take these programs and continue to grow them. There are plans for art galleries, engineering labs, business incubators and more.

These changes will pay dividends in the lives of the students, but also for Warren County and Vicksburg as the workforce in the area is transformed.

  Brandon O’Connor is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at brandon.oconnor@vicksburgpost.com.