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When high school students decide to attend a four-year college, they usually celebrate their decisions with a signing day. On Monday, students in Pike County who have decided to join the workforce were recognized in the same way.

The Troy-Pike Center for Technology hosted signing day for 27 graduating seniors at Troy City and Pike County schools.

Students who are workforce ready were given the opportunity to sign with local businesses, said Jeremy Knox, Troy-Pike Center for Technology principal.

The local businesses that were hiring included Southern Health Associates, Rex Lumber, the Alabama National Guard, Lockheed Martin and KW Container and Plastics.

• Lockheed Martin (signing for completion of training; Students will be interviewed on May 6. Landon Isler, Christion Simmons, Douglas Oswald, Atia Sheffield, Serena Turner, Sterling Sharp, Raikuan Timmons, Nathaniel Dowell, Jatavious McGuire, Jaylen Lee an Sequioa Harris.

• KW Plastics-  Patrick Countryman and Mark Shehane.

• Rex Lumber, Kyron Wilkerson.

• Whaley Construction, Richard Eagerton.

• National Guard, Jesstina Smith, Aiden Golden, Tavon Rogers, Kalieya Linzey, Destiny Allen-Thompson, Samya Provitt, Addriane Lewis, Christopher Singleton, Armani Brown and Quanajah Smith

• Southern Health, Jordan Ogleclark.

As the students waited for the signing program to begin, several, laughingly, said they are ready to get out of high school and start making money.

But, seriously, they expressed appreciation for the opportunities offered to them at the Troy-Pike Center for Technology that have prepared them for workforce readiness.

The number and percentage of Alabama public high school seniors that are workforce-ready has continued to rise since the pandemic, according to an analysis by the Public Affairs Research of Alabama.

There is a shortage of all health care workers across the board and the Alabama National Guard is another organization in need of recruits, said Jamie Rich, Troy-Pike Center for Technology assistant principal. However, Rich said, there are many job opportunities available for graduating seniors who are workforce ready.

Troy-Pike Center for Technology has many opportunities available for students in the Troy City and Pike County school systems. Students are encouraged to learn more about those opportunities as they began to make decisions about entering the workforce.