When current Vincent High School sophomores and seniors sit across the table from a potential employer later in their lives, it won’t be the first time they experience the pressures of a job interview.

When students who attend the Linda Nolen Learning Center in Pelham sit down for their first job interviews, they will know how to dress to impress the interviewee. And when Alabaster students entering ninth grade in 2014 graduate, they will already have focused school training to prepare them for the next level.

Schools throughout Shelby County are working to prepare students to enter the next stages of their lives. For many students, the next step will come in a few short weeks as they walk across the stage to collect their diplomas.

Several Shelby County schools have been conducting mock interview sessions recently to give their students a taste of the real thing before they start applying for jobs in the future. The interviews were conducted by business leaders from throughout the

county who worked to make the experience as real as possible.

On April 15, students from Chelsea High School and Project SEARCH conducted “Dress for Success” fashion shows at LNLC, which serves Shelby County students who have significant special needs. During the fashion show, the LNLC students were tasked with determining if the participants were dressed appropriately for a job interview.

Alabaster City Schools is preparing to launch its student academy program this fall, which will give students a focused set of electives during their high school tenure based on the students’ goals for life after college. The academies will range from education to finance and fine arts, and will seek to develop students’ career skills before they even collect their high school diplomas.

We enjoy writing about our local schools’ efforts to prepare students for life after high school, and applaud our local school systems for taking steps to ensure our kids are among the best when they take the next step.

The editorial is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.