VOCATIONAL ENROLLMENT HITS ALL-TIME HIGH; CHANGIN TECHNOLOGY PUSHES X'ers, BABY BOOMERS FROM PROFESSIONS

A half-shaft on a front-wheel-drive vehicle was changed by vo-tech students in auto mechanics class. From left: Derek DeSpain, instructor Ron Schaefer, Tait Phillips and Justin Jones.

Matt Glastetter, left, of Chaffee and Ben Schlegel of Cape Girardeau operated a frame straightener in the vo-tech auto body shop.

LaTasha Criddle, left, of Cape Girardeau and Rebecca Tillotson of Jackson made cheeseburgers in the vo-tech kitchen.

Baby boomers are joining Generation X'ers in the quest to specialize as constantly changing technology and increasing numbers of service jobs indicate a move away from professions in the 21st century.

The climbing enrollment at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School suggests that students with an eye to the future are looking at service-oriented careers.

"Our enrollment has grown to an all-time high," said Harold Tilley, school director. "We now have in excess of 600 students, and we foresee those numbers continuing to increase."

The vo-tech school provides students with specialized knowledge and practical training that prepares them for entry-level employment in the industry of their choice.

High school students working towards graduation, as well as adults who have earned their high school degree, are eligible for enrollment. Classes are offered in the areas of arts and communication, business, management and technology, health services, human services, industrial and engineering technology, and natural resource systems.

"We're trying to teach students all of the aspects of the industries, from start to finish," Tilley said. "We're trying to expose each student to work, whether through mentoring, job shadowing, on-the-job training, internship or apprenticeship."

Most of the school's programs are built around a two-year program in order to make a student proficient in a particular service career, Tilley said. Classes are scheduled in three-hour blocks, and students divide their time between the classroom and the work area.

Instructors said they concentrate on technical knowledge while their students are in the classroom and practical knowledge while they are in the work areas.

"My students learn sanitation, safety and basic skills they need in the food industry while they are in the classroom," said culinary arts instructor Carol Scherer. "When we work in a practical setting, they have assignments similar to a real-work environment so they learn everything from cooking the food to marketing the food.

"I want them to be able to find a food service job and do something other than entry-level work."

Automotive students get their practical knowledge by working on cars belonging to students, public school employees and the Cape Girardeau School District.

"People often come and ask would we work on their cars," said auto collision instructor Ron Baker. "We have such a high volume from our other sources that we almost never take cars off the street."

Baker said the cars they work on allow students to learn on both old and newer models of cars, which provides them many different learning opportunities.

With the speed that technology changes and service industries develop, school instructors spend a lot of time upgrading and retraining so they are able to keep their students prepared for the "real world."

"I worked in the industry for some time, and there has been a big change in cars since I started teaching," said automotive technology instructor Ronald E. Schaefer. "In the late '70s and '80s, anybody could have worked on cars. It's not like that anymore."

Baker agreed. "We have to retrain on an ongoing and regular basis because a lot more stuff is computerized," he said.

Tilley said local businesses often help instructors and students by donating products that have new technology. "Sometimes dealerships get partially damaged vehicles that they can't sell for whatever reason," he said. "The corporation allows them to donate these to the school, and we are able to teach the students with physical examples of the technology."

Baker said the donations allow teachers to teach students on new models as the technology is released. "It's great that we get the new cars donated because if we are working on old cars, there's no way to learn the new technology of the day."

Tilley said the school also facilitates upgrading instructors by providing funding. "We have lots of new technology in our schools, and we set aside money in our budget for training and upgrading our instructors," Tilley said.

A fairly new program allows students to earn from six to 24 college credits while they are enrolled at the school. The 2+2 Tech Prep program is a cooperative effort with Mineral Area Community College.

Qualified students may earn credit in the areas of offset printing, modern office technology, automotive technology, building trades, management/marketing, and electronics while they attend the vo-tech school. After completing studies in a specified area, students may enroll at the college and work towards an associate degree.

Tilley said the program allows students to cut down on the amount of time needed to obtain the associate degree while keeping students at the forefront of training.

"Technology is exploding so fast that entry-level employees don't have the basis to be important to the employers," Tilley said. "The 2+2 concept suggests that two years of high school plus two years of college provide students with a better basis for the employer.

"It also makes the student better prepared and gives them a step up so they can enter the workplace more sharply and quickly."

Tilley said he would like to see his school's enrollment and programs grow even more in the future.

"We are seeing almost explosive growth in some of our programs," he said. "We would like to see our staff and even our available space grow along with that expansion so we can provide even more options for our students."