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The PTC Clearwater Campus Manufacturing Showcase & Machining Technologies Grand Reopening brought together 104 attendees, including industry leaders, workforce and educational partners, prospective students, chambers of commerce and community members. Guests toured our labs, connected with instructors, watched students demonstrate their skills on industry-standard equipment, and heard directly from students during a panel focused on the future of manufacturing and tomorrow’s workforce.

Best of all, the event sparked new opportunities for employment, apprenticeships, employee upskilling, student enrollment, and community partnerships. We are grateful for the equipment donation from Lou Bonsey for the Machining Technologies program. A huge thank you to our students, staff, industry partners, and everyone who joined us.

Congratulations Robert Scicolone, the PTC Clearwater Campus Teacher of the Year! Robert's dedication to his students, passion for technical education, and commitment to preparing students for successful careers exemplify what makes PTC special.

We are proud to have Robert representing PTC Clearwater and the outstanding instructors who make a difference in our students' lives every day.

PTC Clearwater's first-ever National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Day brought students together to celebrate excellence in career and technical education and build a stronger campus community! The event created opportunities for students to connect beyond their classrooms and explore leadership opportunities. The goal was for every student to develop a greater sense of belonging while discovering how NTHS can support their career goals. The celebration also marked the selection of our new Student Council team! We look forward to seeing these leaders represent their peers and encourage student involvement while helping shape our campus community.

Each student received a lanyard and three pins representing their program. One was theirs to keep. The other two were an invitation to meet someone new. As students exchanged pins with peers from different programs, they introduced themselves and shared their career dreams. A pin sparked a conversation. A shared interest opened the door to friendship. By the end of the celebration their lanyards held more than program pins. They carried reminders of new connections and a stronger sense of belonging at PTC.

A special thank-you to our Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality students for preparing and serving the food. Their talents and welcoming service helped make the celebration a memorable experience. NTHS recognizes student excellence and opens doors to scholarship opportunities and career development while supporting leadership growth. Every program has students who lead by example and strive for excellence. Help us celebrate their achievements by nominating outstanding students for NTHS membership.

There's a big difference between hearing about a PTC program and getting the chance to see it in action! That's what PTC Day is all about.

We recently welcomed 25 AVID students from Mrs. Holler's class at Northeast High School to explore Pinellas Technical College and experience the possibilities that career and technical education can provide.

By stepping inside our programs and seeing hands-on training firsthand, students can begin to picture themselves in careers they may have never considered before. These experiences help turn questions like "What do I want to do after high school?" into opportunities to explore, discover, and make informed decisions about the future.

At PTC, we believe career exploration should begin before graduation. The earlier students are exposed to different pathways, the more opportunities they have to discover where their interests, talents, and goals could take them.

Thank you, Northeast High School AVID, for spending the day with us. We hope PTC Day was just the beginning of your career exploration journey!

Our PTC St. Petersburg staff showed up in blue today to cheer on the Rays as they kick off the playoffs this weekend. Go Rays!

Recently, PTC's Chris Blackwell visited Cody Robbins' 11th- and 12th-grade AVID classes at Hollins High School to introduce students to our many program offerings. After the visit, students were eager to experience all that PTC has to offer firsthand.

That interest led to a campus tour, where Hollins High School AVID students from Cody Robbins' and Amy Lachance's classes visited the Pinellas Technical College St. Petersburg Campus to explore career and technical education opportunities available through dual enrollment and after high school. Students stepped inside PTC programs, asked questions, and discovered career pathways they may not have previously considered.

But the impact didn't stop there!

Following the tour, Hollins High School AVID student Eli Bessey took the next step and attended PTC's Open House, where he was selected to receive a $500 PTC scholarship!

Experiences like these are about more than classroom presentations and campus tours. They're about helping students see that their next opportunity could start at Pinellas Technical College.

Thank you to Hollins High School, AVID instructors Cody Robbins and Amy Lachance, and Chris Blackwell for helping connect students with pathways to college, careers, and the workforce!