Career Potential
BUTLER TWP — Boasting 16 programs — from welding to culinary arts and cosmetology — the Butler County Vocational-Technical School has programming that would pique the interest of almost any high school student.
With about 830 students from all over the county, the school celebrates its 35th anniversary this fall.
Alternative to college
One of the biggest focuses of the school remains career potential for students. But now the vo-tech has become more relevant than ever as students face uncertain job markets and the skyrocketing price of a four-year college degree.
Joe Cunningham, director of the school, said students and schools alike are looking for alternatives to the four-year college degree. Those alternatives take several forms, including if technical training provides a more direct route to a career or if it becomes a catalyst for receiving a higher education degree.
“We're talking about a paradigm shift with respect to the price of college tuition being very costly these days,” he said.
“Employers, particularly in Butler County, are looking for people with specific skills related to the business and industry needs of this area, which is manufacturing, health care and construction. And we're able to provide that service to these business and industry companies and leaders because of these training programs that we have.”
The school's most popular programs are health occupations with 130 students; cosmetology with 80 students; graphic arts with 69 students; automotive with 63 students; and welding programs with 60 students.
Cunningham said the welding, machining, automotive, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning programs have direct and indirect job potential with the natural gas industry.
He also is proud of the number of work and proficiency certificates students have received.
In the 2011-2012, school year, students at the school completed 887 work certifications, which was more than any other high school-based technical school in the state. Students at Butler received more certifications than students at schools even double in size.Those certificates get students one step closer to a sustainable career path.National and state certifications offered include:• Fork Lift Operator certification for the Building Construction program;• Food Production and Nutrition certifications for Culinary Arts; and• EKG, Pharmacy Technician and Electronic Medical Record certifications for the Health Occupations program.“They're not only leaving with a high school diploma,” Cunningham said, “they're leaving with a certificate of completion here. They're leaving with business- and industry-recognized credentials, and finally, if they pursue their education at a post-secondary institution, in many cases they're awarded advanced credits.”And beginning this spring, students have even more opportunities to earn Butler County Community College credits by scoring proficient or advanced on the NOCTI exams, the SAT-equivalent test at technical school. A proficient score earns six credits and an advanced score earns nine credits toward a technical trade, applied technology certificate.“This can be applicable to any program,” said Matt Kovac, dean of Natural Science and Technology school at BC3.The schools have other credit programs through completing technical school programs and certifications at the vo-tech, but this is the first partnership program that will be available to students in all 16 programs.
The school is always exploring the possibility of new programs, Cunningham said. For instance, robotics, engineering and physical therapy programs are in the “dream stages.”However, there are many steps involved to get a new program in place.“We have to be providing the technical training that is consistent with the needs of our local business industry,” Cunningham said. “We have to look at the demographics of Butler County with respect to what the needs are.“The other thing is it's difficult in this day and age with the budgets of the school districts, not sure what the state's going to provide in funding. There has to be a funding mechanism there if we're able to put a new program in.“It's difficult to put a new program in when so many school districts are having to look at raising taxes and other ways of generating revenue to support their program,” Cunningham added. “So starting a new program at this point is very difficult, but ... we have to be cognizant of what's going on around us. We cannot be complacent.”
The 16 programs available at the Butler County Vocational-Technical School are:• Health assistant• Health occupations• Heavy equipment repair• Machine technology• Protective services• Air conditioning/heating• Automotive technology• Building construction• Carpentry• Collision repair• Commercial art• Cosmetology• Computer networking and telecommunications• Culinary arts• Graphic arts• Welding
