VOCATIONAL CLASSES BEGIN WEEK OF SEPT. 23

Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School classes start the week of Sept. 23.

A few classes, such as the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes, a paramedic and construction electrician class, have started, but prospective students for other courses can enroll for classes at the school from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.

Provided there are openings, the last day to enroll is the day the class starts.

The school offers a wide range of classes that include training for job skills to hobby classes to literacy classes.

Harold Tilley, the assistant director of the vocational school, said the school has a balance of classes. "Some people have hobbies and other people enjoy learning a new skill," he said. "We have such a variety that I feel the school fits the needs of everyone in adult education."

Tilley said the most popular classes are the health occupations, business and computer courses, classes that have a wide range of applications.

"The Licensed Practical Nurse class is extremely popular," Tilley said. "We'll have maybe 300 applicants for 24 spots."

He said the applicants have to take a pre-entrance test and go through an interview and screening process to compete for a place in the class.

"We will repeat popular courses and students can be put on a waiting list," Tilley said, "but it is important for people to find out early when the deadline for the program is."

The school does offer free literacy training and classes to help study for a GED, the equivalent of a high school diploma.

"The literacy movement is popular," Tilley said. "There is not a stigma attached to illiteracy anymore," he said, "and more and more people are wanting to learn to read, improve their reading skills or improve life skills and be a better consumer."

Whether or not the class will include homework, Tilley said, depends on the kind of class.

"The avocational classes are something people are interested in gaining more knowledge about, like photography," he said. "They will apply the skills that they learn, but won't take a test."

"Other programs, like electronics are scored and they do skill-training homework," Tilley said. He said that the objective of these types of classes are to train or retrain people for a skill.

"The more effort you put into a course," he said, "the more you will get out of it."

The time and the costs of the classes vary as much as the courses themselves. The school offers classes six days a week, during the day and evening.

"Some people don't have time to take a course," he said, "unless it's Friday evening or Saturday morning."

Tilley said the length of the class depends on the course objectives. He also said the longer the course, the more it costs.

"The health field classes are more expensive because medical supplies and equipment are expensive to use during the training," he said.

Tilley said that the school does not charge out-of-state tuition, so Illinois residents who take vo-tech classes pay the same charges as Missouri residents.

Most of the classes are offered at the vo-tech school but some meet at other schools in Cape Girardeau. "Due to our growth," Tilley said, "we have expanded to other facilities that the school district owns."

A new no-smoking policy at the school took effect July 1 of this year. The policy is for both students and employees and prohibits smoking in the buildings or on any part of the school grounds.

"We feel as educators that we have to set an example," Tilley said. "With cancer and other illnesses being directly related to smoking, we feel that if we continue to let people smoke, then we are giving our approval."

Tilley said that the school ran surveys and looked at other schools' smoking policies before the Board of Education adopted the policy.

"There are potential problems," he said, "but we hope our customers will understand."

The school does provide students with various services such as career counseling, an assessment center and a placement program.

"The assessment center assesses the strength of an individual and shows what he/she might be the most successful at in a career," Tilley said.

Tilley said that the school also has a vocational counselor who helps students with resumes and job interviews.

"All of our teachers help with placement by maintaining close contact with employers," Tilley said. "For example, in the air conditioning-refrigeration program, the instructor keeps in close contact with heating and cooling contractors in the area," he said.

"Employers call us and we call them.

"People can come to school to get their GED and we'll help them," Tilley said. "They can come to learn a skill and we'll teach them, and if they want to be employed, then we'll help them get employed.

"Further education, for whatever purpose, we offer them that assistance," he said.