“In Ohio, there are four jobs for every person looking for a job. So if we want to continue to grow our economy, we need to build our workforce. CareerTech is the most valuable “It’s an education, and you can earn certifications and job skills, and you can get them for free at CareerTech educational institutions,” Husted said. “Employers today are hiring for skills, not degrees. We need more students to acquire these skills.”
Some of the projects Greene County Career Center students have worked on this semester have directly led to helping people in the community.
Career Center Advanced Engineering Systems students developed a modified ride-on toy car for Go Baby Go, a program that provides cars to young children with disabilities through the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Student volunteers from all over the country bring in toy cars and convert them into functional cars, including electric modifications and the addition of seat pads, to make getting around easier for young children.
Nursing students learn phlebotomy skills and medical terminology, and practice anatomy on an anatomical table, a large device that simulates the human body. Students graduate with state-tested nursing assistant certifications and are often quickly hired into local hospital networks. Students who work in a hospital during school hours can count their hours toward high school graduation.
Junior Lily Willman said the kindness she received at the hospital as a child inspired her to pursue a career in the medical field. During her junior high school years, she contracted the flu and strep throat at the same time.
“I went to the doctor because I was really sick and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong,” she said. “It was in the fifth or sixth grade, so it must have been difficult. But I remember this nurse who was very kind to me. I was very scared as a child, and she I’ll never forget that. I want to be able to help people like that.”
Junior Presley Baxter said she chose to become a nursing assistant because of her desire to help people and work with children.
“It’s something different. When I came here, I really decided I wanted to work in health care,” she said.
High school students can earn certification to become a mental health technician, as well as a nursing assistant for mental health patients.
“They’re going to do a great job of de-escalating because they’re trained and they know about mental and behavioral health… So it’s a great (lower level) thing they can do while they’re in school. ) position,” said Faith Solis, health sciences instructor. . “We bet on it. It was our first time holding it, and the kids did a really good job.”
Approximately 35% of all Greene County Career Center students have 50 hours or more of work experience, and 27% of all students have 250 hours or more of work experience. GCCC students are employed by over 115 local companies. Last year, the Career Center issued her 1,001 industry certifications, and this year she will exceed that number.
