DUBLIN, Ga. — When many of us were in school, we dreamed of what we would be in the future.
A group of students in Dublin High's family and consumer science class are getting a head start in the food industry.
"They're learning the necessary skills for day-to-day living, especially with food nutrition and wellness," teacher Ernestine McGirt O'Neal said.
Students better understand hygiene and allergens, which play a big part in keeping people safe.
"They understand why certain items have to be cooked to a certain temperature because of the way energy moves through food," McGirt-O'Neal explains.
The course is divided into three parts and is spread over three years.
It ends with an opportunity for students to become ServSafe certified.
It's a certification that ensures people handling food know the ins and outs and how to do it safely.
11th-grade student Kendricka Smith is working on obtaining her certification.
She has dreams of becoming a chef one day, but for now, she said the class is teaching her recipes to bring back home to her grandmother.
"I just want to experience more cooking and new ingredients," Smith said. "She [grandma] had got sick, so I've been cooking a little bit."
Ben Lanier oversees the school's college and career academy.
He sees this class as a part of a solution to the workforce crisis plaguing the country.
"You hear businesses say we can't get people to work, but the businesses aren't necessarily coming to the table to see where the employees are which are in our schools," Lanier explained.
A U.S. Department of Labor job report in 2023 showed nearly 8.4 million Americans had more than one job.
As students entered an unpredictable job market, Lanier believes this could be a good alternative.
"This doesn't have to be your main career, but to have a trade-in your back pocket that you can make money with is tremendously valuable," Lanier said.
Lanier added that 32 Dublin High School students became Serv-safe certified during the 2023 fall semester.
Recently, students catered an event for more than 250 people.
School leaders say the students often get opportunities to cater events in the Dublin community.