On Thursday, Eagle staff reported that, thanks to a $20,000 Career and Technical Education Equipment Grant from the state Department of Education, the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School will gain some much-needed welding equipment.

A news release from the education department said more than $1.2 million was awarded to 33 career and technical centers and two school districts across the state. The grants are to used to purchase new equipment aligned to training students in high-demand occupations.

It’s extremely satisfying to see such support for trade occupations in Pennsylvania, and ever more so right here in Butler County.

There’s an illusion that college is the only route after high school, one nobody can really seem to break entirely. It can have a disastrous effect on students who can’t find something they’re passionate about in a lecture hall, setting them up for failure instead of a promising career.

The Butler vo-tech offers experience in trades that are vital to the infrastructure that make up a community, and the grant funding for the welding equipment will allow them to better educate those who are eyeing that valuable career path.

Regina Hiler, executive director at the Butler vo-tech, revealed that it isn’t the only time the school has received grant money, having been awarded a $12,500 grant last year.

“We are blessed to have good opportunities for grant funding,” Hiler said, “it will make the students more highly qualified for their postsecondary opportunities.”

It’s funding such as this that allows all students to explore their options to the furthest extents possible before they leave high school.

Encourage your students to follow their passions, because schools such as the Butler vo-tech are always working to be better equipped to teach them.

—CM