Kennesaw Mountain High School’s Jeremy Whitaker got the idea months ago to have a career signing day for graduating seniors who were entering the skilled trades via apprenticeship programs, trade schools, or going directly into the workforce.

Whitaker, who was named KMHS Teacher of the Year for his work teaching construction class, felt the students who were making these moves were due a celebration in similar fashion to high school football players who sign letters of intent to colleges in December and February.

In what very well may be the first event of its kind in Georgia, more than a dozen students alongside friends and family celebrated the beginning of what will surely become fruitful careers in an industry that needs a pipeline of young workers.

Creating a strong pipeline of workers in an in-demand industry like construction takes out-of-the-box thinking, and that’s exactly what Whitaker brought to the table with this event.