BY ENRIQUE CORREA - LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio —Today, vocational jobs are in high demand, and to meet those needs, more students are turning to trade schools instead of enrolling in college.
Carpentry is just one of more than 25 trade programs at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School in Oberlin.
Students are now looking for career paths away from the typical college route.
- More than 25 vocational programs offered
- Job placement and internships
- Earn while you learn
“Because with college you rack up all that debt coming out of high school. Then you don’t need that — it’s just too much stress on you, working in this trade. You make lots of money real quick and if you work hard you’ll exceed and you can level up, like become like a boss” said Madison Coughlin, a senior at JVS.
“I really enjoy the program. I like working with my hands and it’s a good idea for people who don’t like college to come to a trade school because there is a skills gap. There are a lot of people retiring from their jobs and we need people to be able and willing to replace those jobs,” said JVS senior Chris Farr.
The Lorain County JVS provided an open house Sunday for potential
students and adults who wanted to tour the campus and get a chance to
talk to instructors and ask questions about the programs available.
“There are shortages in the trades, anywhere from masonry to welders, and we are a facility that can prove that not only do we give our students a chance to earn a skill and trade, but we also provide them with information and skill set that sets them up for life,” said Dr. Glenn Faircloth, superintendent of the JVS school.
Chris Farr is a senior and when he graduates from Lorain JVS, he has a job waiting for him.
Chris and his mother think he made the right choice for his future.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Farr. “I’m paid higher than any of my friends that are in high school, in a traditional high school. That’s pretty cool and straight out of high school, I’m promised a job, ya know, the day after you graduate we want you to come in and work for us. It’s really nice to do that.”
“I think that is remarkable and I told him that maybe I’d quit mine and he can take care of me,” said Marcia Schrecengost, Farr’s mother.