This week was another busy one at Vantage Career Center as our students are fully immersed in their career and academic studies. Our fall athletes are in full swing as well. Shout out to Kaylee Buzard and the Delphos Jefferson girls golf team for winning the NWC this week!
It is hard to believe we are already halfway through the 1st quarter! (Interim grades went out this week). Many of our seniors are getting in their last college visits before they make a decision and students are out and about on field trips and job shadowing experiences as well. This week our Ag & Industrial Power and Construction Equipment Technology students took a trip to the Farm Science Review to see what is new and upcoming in the Agricultural and Equipment industries. Our Psychology, Health, Early Childhood and Criminal Justice classes attended a Human Trafficking workshop in Toledo. The Precision Machining students took a tour of Tenneco (Federal Mogul) where they got to see a few of our recent graduates working (Shout out to Christian who graduated in 2016 and will make over $70,000 this year!!!) And last but not least, Crown Equipment was here to teach soft skills to our Trade & Industrial students. Wow! These are just a few examples of the great exposure students are getting to careers, as well as just a few of the businesses that continue to partner with us to provide opportunities for students.
Speaking of partnerships, that got me thinking about all the great partnerships that make Vantage what it is. The partnerships with local businesses, chambers, economic development and advisory councils, and most importantly, the partnerships with our 13 local schools! This week I had the pleasure of attending a meeting at Delphos City Schools to discuss career opportunities for students. DJHS is starting Career Pathways classes in the 8th and 9th grades, and are looking to expand upon that career education further into high school. As part of the classes students are exposed to careers and are asked to develop a 10 year plan that includes the career they will pursue and what education/training it will take to make that a reality. They will explore their interests and strengths and use that to match with careers associated with those interests and strengths.
These kinds of programs in early high school are exactly what we need so that students can make informed decisions about their futures. By exploring early and often we can see if our career will require a credential, associates, bachelors or graduate degree. This will also allow us to see how much it is going to cost to get that training, and in the end, how much we can make in that career.
For Christian (mentioned above), the decision to get debt free training at Vantage while still in high school, paired with the potential to make over $70,000/year as a machinist in his hometown of Van Wert was a no brainer. It is personal stories like these that make me proud to be a part of Vantage and all of the partnerships that make these opportunities available to students!
