Training for success

While only about one fifth of all occupations need a 4-year degree, nearly 80 percent of jobs now require career technical training. Though those figures may surprise many, to Jerry Winter those statistics just confirm that exciting career opportunities await high school and postsecondary students.

“The predictions are that the majority of jobs in the future are going to be jobs that are going to require technical training,” said Winter, director of the Board of Cooperative Higher Education Services (BOCHES).

Due to a growing technical trade job market both locally and nationally, those with career technical training are in high demand. Ranging from diesel mechanics to nurses and industrial electricians, graduates of technical programs are usually able to find work immediately after receiving their degree or certificate. With an optimistic future predicted, Winter said technical training makes sense not only because it costs less money to achieve but also because it provides the most job opportunities.

“There is a lot of potential in these technical careers that are both fulfilling and rewarding,” Winter said.

For several years, BOCHES has been actively promoting career technical training. BOCHES, which is a joint powers board with members from the Northern Wyoming Community College District (Sheridan & Gillette Colleges) and Campbell County School District, wants to educate local high school students and their parents about the opportunities afforded by a technical postsecondary education.

“BOCHES wants to focus people’s awareness on career technical education and how it can help students be successful, how it can save them money, how it can get them into a great career sooner, and why it’s a smart career choice,” Winter said.

Though bachelor’s degrees are still needed and are a great option for some kids, Winter said they are not always the most practical option for all students. Graduates of career technical education programs often earn as much or substantially more than those who have a four-year degree – even though they’ve spent two years or less in college. According to the national Bureau of Labor, 83 percent of current workers with Associate’s Degrees have the same annual earnings as university graduates.

“With these technical careers, young people can get trained in a field where there is a lot of potential,” he said.

Introducing high school age students to technical career possibilities is vital, Winter said. The Energy Academy, which started last fall at Campbell County High School as 50 sophomores entered high school and chose to join for the duration of their high school careers, offers advanced technical and specialized courses that integrate career and academic preparation. Though the academy is focused on energy, it is centered on relevance, rigor and relationships, Winter said.
“The academy includes a combination of problem solving, communication and application,” he said. “Students are able to see the relevance of what they’re learning and how it will relate to future careers.”

Though the academy is a career based program, students are also engaged in educational core classes such as English, math, history and science.

“There’s a misperception that the students in the academy are expected to meet different requirements and expectations, but that is not correct. Students still have to meet state and district requirements,” Winter said. “The difference is not in what they learn. The difference is in how they learn.”

The academy streamlines learning so that those teachers often collaborate for some of the students’ projects and assignments. The process gives students not just the chance to learn, but also to apply what they learn in all of their core subjects, Winter said.

“For example, if a student is interested in solar power, they might build a solar car or robot in science, and then they will be writing about solar power, and in history, studying the past history of solar power,” he said. “It’s all tied together.”

Through collaboration with industry leaders in paid internships and classroom mentorship, the academy provides a mix of real world application and classroom training to make students highly competitive in the job market.

“We want to help students get into a productive career that will support the lifestyle they desire,” Winter said.

Though 50 students are in the Energy Academy now, each academic year another 50 students will join. In fall 2010, a second career academy focused on hospitality and tourism will open up to an additional 50 sophomores.

National statistics have shown that career technical education can help decrease the number of students who leave high school before earning diplomas or who graduate without the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to thrive as postsecondary students or as employees. That’s the goal of the Campbell County High School academies: preparing every student for success in meaningful work and career advancement.

“It creates a place for kids to fit in while learning skills that will enable them to be incredibly successful adults,” Winter said.

For more information, visit www.skillsplus.info.
-By Lisa Bisbee


Sources: Department of Labor and Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates by Kenneth Gray and Edwin L. Herr.

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