The ceremony was held on the front lawn of WCHS
Dr. Ray Spain, Superintendent, Warren Co. Schools
Calvin Jones, Warren County Board of Education
Melvin Williams, Manager: On Job Training North Carolina Department of Transportation
Ernie Conner, Director of Career and Technical Education Warren County Schools
Dr. Stefanie Williams, President, Vance Granville Community College
Nick Tennyson, Chief Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Dept of Transportation
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N.C. Department of Transportation officials last week joined representatives of Warren County Schools, Warren County government and Warren County High School to celebrate the opening of the high school's Construction and Engineering Academy with the start of this school year.The WCHS academy is one of nine such academies established across North Carolina as part of a pilot program designed to help alleviate a future shortage of skilled workers in the transportation industry, said J. Trent Rawley, director, office of equal opportunity and workforce services, with the NCDOT. He said that the average age of transportation workers currently is 55 nationally and 53 in North Carolina, meaning that many of these employees will be retiring within the next few years.Rawley noted that the nine academies would allow students to learn about a variety of trades to prepare them for work, such as construction, transportation, crane operation and architecture.
Ernie Conner, director of Warren County Schools' Career and Technical Education Program, said that funding for the local academy is being provided by the Federal Highway Administration through an agreement with NCDOT. He said that the partnership allows Warren County Schools to be able to offer educational opportunities for students that would not be possible through local resources alone.
Conner said that participating students would take courses in construction, technology, horticulture, business/marketing, accounting and renewable energy. Instruction they will receive at WCHS will be supplemented by Vance-Granville Community College courses. In addition, students will have the opportunity to complete internships and job shadowing as well as visit highway construction sites to see workers put transportation-related skills in action, Conner said.
He said students would learn that their career options in the transportation industry include marketing, highway budgets, equipment repair, engineering, design and more.
During last week's ceremony, Warren County Board of Education Chairman Calvin Jones said that the Construction and Engineering Academy would "change even more young lives for good."
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ray Spain said that the Construction and Engineering Academy is one of four academies offered to WCHS students with the start of the 2014-15 school year. The other academies include College Preparatory; Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship; and Medical Science and Emergency Services.
Spain said that today's students must be prepared to enter a world that is different from that of current adults with jobs that may not have been invented at this point. He noted that programs such as the Construction and Engineering Academy show young people that their life paths are not limited by where they live or income.
"We are looking for very exciting opportunities to come from this partnership (with NCDOT," Spain said.
Melvin L. Williams, Jr., manager, on-the-job training, with NCDOT, said that other partners who make the Construction and Engineering Academy possible include the Federal Highway Administration, VGCC, Department of Commerce, National Guard and Division of Highways.
He said that the local academy would provide an example for the entire state and country.
Conner said that plans for the partnership with NCDOT came about as a result of a chance meeting between Williams and Warren County Schools' Chief Finance Officer Stanley Williams.
Stanley Williams said that the partnership with NCDOT strengthens an existing partnership with VGCC to provide a variety of educational resources for students, and the local region as a whole.
"I think the academy is an example of how we can rebuild the economic development of the region," he said.
Nick Tennyson, chief deputy secretary of NCDOT, praised the 22 WCHS freshmen who began the academy this year for being willing to explore the variety of skills they can obtain through the program. He said that they would be prepared to meet challenges of tomorrow as the NCDOT undergoes "revolutionary change" over the next 25 years in everything from use of department vehicles to agency management.
Tennyson told the students that they could be part of a bright future if they not only learned skills related to the transportation industry, but also focused on effective communications skills and math.
He said that the NCDOT is excited about the opportunities that programs such as the WCHS Construction and Engineering Academy will bring.
"We are proud to be part of this," he said. "We expect a lot."
Reprinted from the Warren Record (Article written by Luci Weldon)
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