Wallace State hosts annual Tools of the Trade

Hanceville, Ala. — More than 1,600 students and teachers from five area school systems visited Wallace State Community College on Thursday, Oct. 23 to participate in the annual Tools of the Trade expo.

The event is hosted each year for eighth graders to explore potential career opportunities by immersing themselves in hands-on experiences ranging from removing sutures, performing CPR, hammering nails and cutting hair as they visited with programs offered at Wallace State. Area businesses, industries and community organizations also participated, giving students the chance to see prospective jobs and careers available to them and even learn life skills, such as how to write a check.

Nicholas Jenkins, Director and Chief Flight Instructor for Wallace State Community College’s Flight Technology program, talks about being a pilot after landing a helicopter during the Tools of the Trade event held Thursday at the college.

Co-sponsors of the event include the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, Blount County Economic Development, City of Cullman Economic Development Agency, Cullman County Economic Development Agency and area legislators Sen. Garlan Gudger, Rep. Health Allbright, Rep. David Standridge and Rep. Tim Wadsworth.

“It was a great day,” said Suzanne Harbin, Director of Advancement and Innovation at Wallace State. “It was an awesome feeling of teamwork and community coming together to show these students the limitless opportunities for careers in the future.”

Students attending the Tools of the Trade event at Wallace State practice removing staples from simulated skin as they visit the Medical Assisting program Thursday at the college.

###

About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a Rising Star for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.

View more photos from the event at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCynbg.

A student gets a lesson from a representative of People’s Bank on how to write a check while attending the Tools of the Trade event Thursday at Wallace State Community College.