Vocational training front and center at Marion County Technical Center CTE Camp

Esteban Fernandez | Reach Esteban at Efernandez@TimesWV.com, Times West Virginian, Fairmont
·4 min read

Jun. 29—FARMINGTON — Marion County provides its students with several paths to success. One of which is, training students needed skills in blue collar work.

"As far as blue collar trades, in my opinion it's what drives America," Jeremy Sakacsi, welding instructor, said. "It's what keeps America going and moving forward every day. Without the blue collar trades you don't have the individual to fix your car, build your house, electrical, you really don't have anything."

Marion County Technical Center held its second Career and Technical Education Camp this week. The program exposes mostly eighth graders to the skilled trades. The school itself offers courses across 12 different fields, including welding, collision repair, aerospace, restaurant management and other subjects. The main goal of the school is to provide vocational skill training to students who may not find a traditional 4-year college program a good fit.

The camp has been popular enough that Principal Jay Michael said that expanding to a second week with a separate session is on the table. He said that the number of students partaking has doubled from last year.

The technical center is important because it provides an avenue for students to join the skilled labor force without needing to spend tuition on a vocational program post-high school. Rather, it provides a big headstart to students teaching students to perform work that society needs, Michael said.

That said, college isn't out of the question for many students either. One of the many programs the school offers is in law and public safety. Among the recruiters who come to school to speak is the FBI, which requires a college degree to apply.

"We're starting to break the stigma that if you come to the tech center, you're not a college bound student," Michael said. "That's not true. We have some kids today that are 4.0 students and they're going to college."

Michael Opron, who teaches collision repair, has taught at the school for 14 years. He is an alumni of the school, having graduated in 1982. Now, he's passing the torch handed down from his predecessors.

In that time, he's seen a lot of people leave the state after several coal mines shut down. Although there are still some mines going strong, he said that he's seen new types of opportunities open up in West Virginia.

"There's a lot of good industries coming in," Opron said. "We got a couple Toyota plants in West Virginia that build motors and trucks and cars. I feel West Virginia has grown."

The shop where Opron teaches his trade has a lot of modern tools, as does the welding shop. Students work directly with plasma cutters and welding torches.

The teachers themselves are a major asset. Aside from being knowledgeable professionals with years of experience in industry, they also teach the kids how to behave in the workplace and lead. They leverage their contacts to help graduates land jobs and can give career advice to young people starting out. The school is known for the high quality of its education, which leads to demand for its graduates.

"I have folks calling probably every couple of weeks asking who I have, who I can send out," Michael said. "One reason is demand has grown because demand has grown. The other reason is great teachers."

The school is working to improve its visibility.

Sakacsi said the school has been here since 1979, but that there are people in the community that aren't aware of all the programs the school offers. The school is providing pathways for students from East Fairmont and Fairmont High schools to learn about the technical center. They provide a program where sophomores can take an introduction class. The CTE camps are another tool used to increase visibility among eighth graders.

Students Hannah McIntire and Morgan Myers, 17, are both in the public safety program. They love the fact that their program is like a simulated workplace, and the team building that happens provides a family atmosphere to them. There's several hands-on activities, they said, which teach them the basics of law and public safety without staring at a book for too long.

"We have recruiters and a lot of people from the FBI," McIntire said. "You get to really see what it's like for their jobs. It gives you, this is what you want to do. It makes you feel at home, that's what your future job is going to be. It's the perfect place to come."