Four local schools to expand career tech offerings

Fairmont Industries is the work-based program for special education and adult transition departments at Fairmont High School, where students learn job and life skills, Basson said.

Dayton Business Technology School, located at 348 W. First St., Dayton, was awarded $172,000 to expand the charter school’s career tech program. The school will add carpentry, electrical and plumbing trades to its offerings, said Gopaldo Don Jasmin, superintendent.

The Dayton Business Technology School works with many students who have dealt with addiction, mental health, pregnancy or other issues that get in the way of students’ graduation.

Those three trades are considered “in-demand” jobs by the state, especially since there are multiple large projects in the state building new job centers, such as the Intel factory near Columbus and a facility to manufacture flying cars through Joby Aviation in Dayton.

Jasmin said other programs are currently available for his students, including phlebotomy, which is the study of drawing blood, business marketing and hair braiding, among others.

“Our goal is to equip economically disadvantaged students, particularly from the Dayton community, with the necessary training, skills, and industry-recognized credentials to enter the high-demand construction workforce,” Jasmin said.

Jasmin said in meeting with his students, many of them did not know about the amount of money people in the trades make.

“This is not a matter of a second chance, but a matter of educating our citizens,” Jasmin said.

The Miami Valley Career Tech Center and Jefferson Twp. Schools were awarded $98,568 from the grant program to create an agricultural program at Jefferson Twp. MVCTC is paying the instructor but the facilities will be Jefferson Twp.’s.

Kelly Herzog, spokeswoman for the MVCTC, said the grant was going to purchase equipment and provide training for the instructor.

Jefferson Twp. broke ground on the new barn and greenhouse at the end of June. The idea was to provide the smallest district in the county with a resource in career technology without having to leave the district.

“The Jefferson Township Agricultural program will also be aligned with Sinclair Tech Prep Consortium, allowing students to earn college credits while in high school as well as the $3,000 scholarship to Sinclair after they complete high school,” Herzog said.

Staff writer Lillian Ali contributed to this story.