DETCCA Public Safety Event – Thursday, December 11, 2025
Dec 19, 2025
Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the Deep East Texas College and Career Academy (DETCCA) hosted its 5th annual Public Safety Career Day at Jasper ISD. The purpose of the event is to get students interested in public safety careers such as various areas of law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical technicians, first responders, city and county maintenance, and other highly important careers.
DETCCA Executive Director Nicole Colvin said that the event began small, and over the last 5 years has grown into a large occasion serving 8 school districts and up to 1,500 student attendees. She credits Fire Chief Jamie Gunter from Beech Grove for helping the event grow to its current size and participation. “We want to show our kids that there are pathways to a great career that don’t require them to go the traditional 4-year university route, and that they can directly enter the workforce and stay local,” Colvin shared.
Shanna Johnson, Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas Jasper Workforce Center Lead Business Engagement Representative, previously hosted a separate career day, but has since combined her event with the DETCCA Public Safety event to include other career representatives such as military service, banking, vision screeners, and nursing. Johnson shared that it is incredibly beneficial for students to see different industries to help them decide on future pathways. “I love seeing students see many different options for future careers, and I love seeing them interact with different employers. It is important for students to know their options to find a well-paying career that allows them to stay local are right in our own backyard,” Johnson said.
According to their website, DETCCA is a collaboration of public-school districts and institutions of higher education in the deep East Texas region, including Burkeville, Jasper, Kirbyville, Newton, Spurger, Woodville School Districts, and Lamar Institute of Technology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Kilgore College, and Lamar State College Port Arthur. The Leaders of the Alliance created this collaboration to serve over 7,000 students in deep East Texas to meaningfully increase college and career educational opportunities. High school students can earn college credits and stackable certifications that provide college-level career and technical education and general education college courses. To learn more about DETCCA, please visit their website at https://detcca.com/.
Please enjoy photos from the day below:
