Coshocton Career Center passport ceremony honors new wave of skilled laborers

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·3 min read
The Coshocton County Career Center recently held its annual passport ceremony for 132 graduating seniors. Students graduate from their home schools, but receive a folder with certifications and awards from the vocational school. Enrollment was 350 students this school year and is set to be more than 380 next school year. Superintendent Matt Colvin said there is a new wave of youth who realize the importance of skilled laborers for the workforce.

COSHOCTON — The Coshocton County Career Center is poised for a bright future with record enrollment for next school year, but first they have to bid a fond farewell to the current senior class.

The vocational school recently held its annual passport ceremony for exiting seniors. It's similar to a commencement ceremony, but students technically only graduate from their home districts.

Still, officials feel it's important to recognize the accomplishments they had at the vocational school. Students received folders which contained their various awards and certifications.

Superintendent Matt Colvin was announced as taking the position at the passport ceremony last May. He said his first year at the career center has been great, but gone by fast.

The vocational school is poised to have it's largest enrollment ever next school year at more than 380 students, up from 350 this year. Colvin said they had about 48% of the county's juniors this year and the projection for next school year is 54%.

Most of their programs are close to full or have a waiting list. The center has 12 programs, plus FFAs at Ridgewood and River View.

"There's a new wave of kids who understand how we need people out in the workforce who are skilled laborers," Colvin said. "You come here and you're in training, a hands-on learning environment. You're learning skills that will either send you right into an internship, into the military; some of our kids will leave here and go right into the workforce tomorrow and some will leave here today and continue to work the job they're already working."

The Intel plant being constructed in Licking County is providing a boost to local skilled trades. The career center was already planning a new electricians program to start in the 2023 to 2024 school year prior to the announcement, but those students will have great opportunities at Intel, Colvin said. They're also seeing great interest in metal fabrication, auto tech and construction tech.

"I'm a firm believer in if you're not always pushing forward and looking at how to make things better, you're not being relevant," Colvin said.

Emily Bryan of Ridgewood will be attending Youngstown State University to study social work while also serving in the Army National Guard. She was a student in the criminal justice program at the Coshocton County Career Center and recently participated in the school's annual passport ceremony. Five students are poised to join the military.
Emily Bryan of Ridgewood will be attending Youngstown State University to study social work while also serving in the Army National Guard. She was a student in the criminal justice program at the Coshocton County Career Center and recently participated in the school's annual passport ceremony. Five students are poised to join the military.

The career center had 132 graduating seniors with five planning to join the military. This includes Emily Bryan of Ridgewood who will be attending Youngstown State University to study social work while serving in the Army National Guard. She was in the career center's criminal justice program and feels she learned a lot that will help her in the future.

"We've done a lot of job trainings and tests, a lot of correctional work and basic things a lot of people wouldn't understand, like handcuffing and how to dilute a situation," she said.

Students ready their caps shortly before the annual passport ceremony at the Coshocton County Career Center. Seniors graduate from their home schools, but receive a folder from the vocational school with certifications and awards.
Students ready their caps shortly before the annual passport ceremony at the Coshocton County Career Center. Seniors graduate from their home schools, but receive a folder from the vocational school with certifications and awards.

Kaiden Shuman of River View went to the career center only in his senior year and wound up still getting all four welding certificates, something Colvin said had never been done in the metal fabrication program before.

"I had to be a sponge and pretty much soak up everything everyone was telling me," Shuman said. "I've learned a lot of stuff...I definitely wish I would have came last year."

Ben Hall of Ridgewood was in the Networking IT and Computer Systems program. He'll be attending Ohio University Zanesville with the goal of becoming a high school English teacher. While those two might not seem to match, Hall said there's a lot about computers in education today and being a computer teacher could be another career path.

"It's completely different than regular high school. It has prepared me for a work environment and getting me ready for the workforce," Hall said on attending the career center.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton Career Center passport ceremony honors new wave of skilled laborers