By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—Over the last few years, “career readiness” and “workforce development” have been buzzwords in public education. There’s been a recognition throughout Vermont that the state needs to do a better job providing career pathways for youth who don’t want to pursue college degrees. There’s also been a recognition that throughout the state, there’s a shortage of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other skilled tradespeople.
As part of this push, OV Tech Ed teacher Devon Karpak is organizing the 2nd annual OV Career Day on Friday, March 7 to let OVUMS and OVUHS kids explore non-college career options and acquaint them with local career opportunities.
Last year’s Career Day—OV’s first—saw roughly 30 “community partners” come to OV to talk with students about what they do and how kids could pursue those jobs. Attendees included major local employers such as OMYA, Naylor & Breen, Casella, and G. Stone, as well as representatives from Stafford Technical Center in Rutland, trade unions, and military recruiters.
“Last year was successful overall,” said Mr. Karpak in a recent conversation in his classroom at OV. “Our community partners showing up for kids was amazing. It was our first time running the event, but we saw what it could be. It was great for kids to see career opportunities other than the cliches of doctor, lawyer, and astronaut.”
“We hear so much about kids who left the area,” Karpak continued. “These partners give our kids a reason to stay. My focus is showing students what’s available in their own community.”
Karpak is organizing this year’s event a little bit differently, with more age-based structure. Middle-school students will attend four 30-minute sessions on different career paths. Those in 9th grade will participate in a “career inventory” activity to help them narrow down their interests. Those in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades will attend a “Pathways Fair,” where they’ll have a chance to meet representatives from employers and post-high-school training programs.
Brothers Tanner and Travis Romano, both OV grads, will deliver the keynote address as well. Tanner is a co-owner of Naylor & Breen builders in Brandon and Travis is general manager at G. Stone Motors in Middlebury.
The hope is that this more structured approach will give employers and programs access to students who are closer to employment age and give younger students more context in which to make decisions about what path they want to take in high school.
Karpak’s focus at OV is on “tech ed,” which older folks may have known as “shop class” back in the day. However, today’s “shop class” involves much more sophisticated equipment and advanced technology. Karpak’s classrooms are full of traditional woodworking tools and machinery, but a 3-D printer happily chirps away on student projects as well. Kids can learn to repair small engines but will eventually also be able to learn the basics of robotics and computer-aided design (CAD).
OV recently received a $114K grant from the Vermont Department of Labor to establish a welding program. Work is currently underway to ventilate the welding area and Karpak hopes the program will be running by the fall.
For kids who decide to pursue vocational training, Karpak helps guide them to one of the two available career and technical education (CTE) centers: Stafford in Rutland and Hannaford in Middlebury. Which center they attend depends on what program they pursue, though most OV students who follow this path end up opting for Stafford.
Karpak has been at OV for six years and has been fortunate to have arrived just as the interest in CTE was taking off statewide.
“I’m not officially CTE,” he said, “but I want to get kids interested. Our CTE partners have so much to offer our students. They give our kids amazing opportunities.”
Administrators at OV and RNESU have also been very supportive of his work, he said. “[OV Principal] Michael Ruppel has been amazingly encouraging. And Rene [Sanchez, RNESU Superintendent] has a lot of great ideas.”
“This has been a labor of love for the last 6 years,” he added. “I’m happy with the direction we’re heading in. Otter Valley is a special place that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. But the best is yet to come.”
