Career Center hosts open house
COSHOCTON - When he began working at the Coshocton County Career Center more than three decades ago, Principal Eddie Dovenbarger said he thought he had to find the best secretarial and accounting students for the county.
But these days, Dovenbarger said he believes he has to turn out the best employees for the global economy.
"We know that a lot of the kids in our cosmetology program stay here," Superintendent Rick Raach said. "We know that 80 percent of the auto mechanics working here are our graduates, but metal fabrication and criminal justice, they have to go where the demand is."
The Career Center hosted its 18th annual open house Thursday to showcase the school's educational programs for community members, families and prospective students.
"This is really driven to current and future students, but also the public, to thank them for their support throughout the year," said Judd Bone, spokesman for the Coshocton County Joint Vocational School District.
Family members of both current and prospective Career Center students attended the open house to learn about the school's 11 program offerings: auto technology, building trades, career skills investigation, cosmetology, criminal justice, culinary arts, early childhood education, electronics, health technologies, metal fabrication and natural resources.
Electronics and metal fabrication are the Career Center's most popular programs and have the highest enrollment, Bone said.
Metal fabrication instructor Nick Baughman said his program's enrollment numbers are being driven by available jobs and lucrative salaries.
"The big thing is the opportunities that are out there in business and industry," he said. "The employment opportunities are through the roof."
"If our welders drive 30 minutes, they can earn $80,000 a year on gas and oil rigs," Dovenbarger said.
Students these days have many options, he said.
"We are a school of choice," Dovenbarger said. "We have to make ourselves known to kids."
If they choose, students can take career tech classes at the Career Center while enrolled in academics there, at their home high school or on a college campus.
"Really, the sky is the limit for kids who are creating their own career path," he said.
Criminal justice students Alexandria Anderson, Mikayla Bassett and Travis Vickers said they hope to further their training at the college level in pursuit of careers in law enforcement.
Anderson and Bassett, of Coshocton, are juniors in the criminal justice program who are considering attending the Pittsburgh Technical Institute, or perhaps Zane State University, after high school graduation. Anderson is looking into working as a probation officer, while Bassett is interested in becoming a K-9 officer.
Vickers, a senior from West Lafayette, also is considering attending Zane State, but he is otherwise keeping his options open.
"I'm keeping my mind open to basically anything in the field," he said.
The open house annually attracts hundreds of people with a spaghetti dinner, visits to the school's program labs, vendors, and information booths representing governmental agencies, banks, health groups and businesses.
Located at 23640 Airport Road, the Career Center has been open since 1978, according to its website, coshoctoncareers.org. It offers career tech and college prep courses, as well as English, math and science. About 280 juniors and seniors are enrolled, Raach said.
Most students come from the Coshocton, River View and Ridgewood districts. Students from Newcomerstown, Tri-Valley, Indian Valley and Claymont City Schools also can attend through open enrollment.
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