Ranken Technical College to help fill labor gap in region

At its Coffee and Connections networking event, the Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce announced a new vocational-education facility, which is soon to come to Perryville. Ranken Technical College is opening a satellite campus, and with it should come skilled instructors who produce skilled workers.

Expectations are high for this new location. The main campus in St. Louis and the new satellite campus in Wentzville, Missouri, are enjoying success, said Stan Shoun, president of Ranken Technical College, and this expansion facility should be a success as well.

The satellite will satisfy various needs.

For one, it will provide an opportunity for students in the region and beyond to acquire the technical training they need. Though the course of study for Perryville has not yet been determined, in St. Louis, classes include construction, auto repair, information technology and manufacturing.

It will also fill jobs that are currently unfilled due to skills gaps and those that will be vacant after upcoming retirements.

The new facility should also provide a boost to the economy. As the Southeast Missourian reported recently, "Perryville is short on one commodity: labor," said Don Welge, president of Gilster-Mary Lee, which was part of the collaboration to bring Ranken to the area. He added, "If we can find a way to hold more local people in the area, we'll be so much better economically."

This effort sounds like a winner all the way around -- for students, workers and the community. Expansion is exciting, and this one is fast-approaching. In fact, a "soft opening" is expected in January, and because main campus instructors will teach the first year, staffing needs will not hold up the launch.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon put his signature on a career-and-technical-education bill June 13. The new law will grant a state certificate to high school students who complete vocational training coursework.

The law, sponsored by State Sen. Gary Romine and backed by State Rep. Kathy Swan, who drafted similar legislation, could be the perfect Part I of a one-two punch with the new vocational-educational satellite facility.