The Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership is proud to announce the first students who have found their “E” – Enrollment, Enlistment or Employment – and are entering into the workforce.
In partnership with the Marion County Public School system and the College of Central Florida, students are presented with the Three E’s, to not only get to graduation, but also have a plan afterwards.
The first Enlistment student is Kelvin Merritt, who is graduating from North Marion High School into the Navy. Hope Peoples is the first Enrollment student, graduating from Vanguard High School and enrolling into the College of Central Florida to be a teacher. Finally the first Employment student is Deon Duncan, graduating from CF to be a support engineer for GeoSpace Labs, a business resident in the CEP’s Power Plant Business Incubator.
The 3 E’s are a part of a larger talent development initiative, overseen by Dean Blinkhorn. The CEP has worked with our education and business partners to create a “talent pipeline,” essentially equipping students with the certifications and/or plan they need to stay in Marion County for work and education.
The CEP will be recognizing these students at its monthly exCEPtional Mornings breakfast on Thursday, Aug. 19, as the audience hears from the new MCPS Superintendent, Dr. Diane Gullett. If you would like to attend exCEPtional Mornings for media coverage, or if you would like contact information for any of the students, please contact Olana Osborn, Director of Communications, at Olana@OcalaCEP.com.