For the 450 East Hillsborough County high school seniors who chose to participate in the Future Career Academy (FCA) Business Tour field trips, the January 28 tour, one of eight immersive days throughout Hillsborough County, was not a break from class or a one-day field trip. It was a planned component of a yearlong program designed to prepare students for life after graduation.
Throughout this yearlong journey, students are also supported through a weekly workforce and professional development curriculum, along with additional experiences, all intentionally designed to prepare them for career pathways and connect them to employers, training partners and real-world opportunities.
As part of that program, participating seniors traveled on nine buses, and each rotated through three different workplace sectors across the region, gaining direct exposure to real-world settings that allowed them to compare career options side by side and begin making informed decisions about their future.
Throughout the day, students moved in groups from site to site, seeing what different lines of work look like day to day. Some stops placed them inside training classrooms and labs, while others brought them onto jobsites or into active facilities. The contrast pushed students to think beyond job titles and consider work environments, training paths and long-term goals.
“I was expecting a bunch of learning opportunities,” said Kayle Garris, a senior at Brandon High School. “I knew we were going to do business field trips and go to different areas to connect with different departments, like TECO. Today, we went to TECO and a nursing home, and we learned about all of that. I work at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, and I’ve been looking at different options, including the Army and Hillsborough Community College. My plan is to go to HCC and then transfer to USF. I have a scholarship from USF — Richard Gonzmart from the Columbia gave me a Latino scholarship.”
Like many students on the tour, Garris is balancing work, education, and long-term planning, using the day to explore multiple career options rather than committing to a single path.
It wasn’t just the students who found value; local employers noted a level of engagement that shifted the day from a tour to a talent search.
From Blackrock Milling and Asphalt, recruiter Chris Hill said his first experience with FCA offered more than a chance to collect resumes.
“We at Blackrock are looking for more than just a diploma or a degree; we are looking for employees that will make an immediate positive impact on our company,” Hill said. “These young adults asked questions and were willing to learn about a trade they may have never thought about before. We look forward to interviewing and developing the next generation of leaders.”
The mix of first-time recruiters and long-standing partners underscored the program’s ability to serve both emerging workforce needs and established professional pipelines.
Returning partners, such as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), focused on showing students how preparation connects directly to responsibility in the field.
During the event, FDOT representatives demonstrated a $25,000 mobile excavation simulator used to train equipment operators before they ever step onto a job site. The simulator mirrors the controls found on heavy machinery — equipment that can start at $150,000 and go far beyond that.
Ron Gibbons, an FDOT maintenance program manager, explained how the simulator builds muscle memory and confidence before trainees move into real equipment.
“Your hands feel the same thing, your feet feel the same thing as what you’re experiencing here; … it’s muscle memory, … do it while it’s fresh,” Gibbons said. “We do this in the classroom, then take them right out into the field within two minutes; … OK, get in this machine and show me the basics of what you just did. … It builds confidence,” he said.
Midway through the day, all students gathered at The Regent in Riverview for a working lunch presentation with recruiters and training organizations, creating a shared moment to reflect on what they had already seen and how it connected to broader professional trajectories.
Yvonne Fry, founder and CEO of both Future Career Academy and Workforce Development Partners, said the tours are designed to be the moment when preparation finally connects to purpose.
“This is the day the light bulb finally goes on,” Fry said, explaining how the experience reshapes students’ views of education.
Lynn Gray, a member of the Hillsborough County School Board, added, “The work that Workforce Development Partners does for our students is unmatched! This student-centered workforce development offers career opportunities from every trade in our Tampa Bay Region.”
To learn more, visit the website at www.workforcedevelopmentpartners.com.
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