Onslow Schools Considers Career Technicial Center
By Amanda Hickey, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.
Mar. 6–Onslow County Schools is considering a new concept that would allow students to walk right off the stage with their high school diploma into the work force.
The Onslow County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to allow Assistant Superintendent Lesley Eason and her staff to complete a program model for the Career Launch Technology Center.
The center, however, has not been approved as more than a concept Onslow County Schools is evaluating.
As the county school system works to produce what it terms 21st century-ready students, it is also working to produce students who are work-force ready in case they do not pursue a higher education.
According to Eason’s presentation, the Career Launch Technology Center would address:
— Education that connects students to the possibilities of the future.
— Instruction tailored to community demands.
— Graduates prepared to meet current labor market demands.
“We want our school to be very proactive,” Eason told the board.
In the fall, 93 percent of respondents to a survey replied that Onslow County Schools should pursue a career center for high school students. More than 1,000 eighth-graders in Onslow County were also surveyed about their interests to determine potential career clusters.
There would be three initial career clusters: transportation technology, integrated construction technology and applied technology.
Training under transportation technology would be for an automobile technicians, aircraft mechanics, diesel engine specialists, motorcycle mechanics, motorboat mechanics and motor vehicle inspectors.
Integrated construction technology would include training for carpenters, safety directors, interior designers, electricians, plumbers and building contractors.
Training within applied technology would include aeronautical engineers, architectural engineers, game designers, multi-media animators, medical illustrators and graphic designers.
“We always want to have our finger on the pulse of high school students,” Eason said.
The Career Launch Technology Center would be hosted on 10 to 15 acres of land in a location that is to be determined, said Jeff Hudson, assistant superintendent of auxiliary services. The center would have four applied technology rooms, three transportation technology rooms with two classrooms for the section and two integrated construction technology rooms, according to the prospective building map Eason provided.
There also would be administrative support offices, core support offices and mechanical and service offices.
“We want students to feel like they will have an experience in the world of work,” Eason told the board.
Board member Brock Ridge also has high hopes for the concept.
“I don’t know that this will solve the problems of the dropout rate, but I do think it will address it,” he said. “We realize that students are different, and we want to make sure all students are successful.”
Board member Margaret Brown was one of the board members who visited similar sites. “If we could see the enthusiasm on the students’ faces that we saw (when we visited) that’ll be more than worth it,” she said.
The next step for and her staff is to begin looking at sites, funding and curriculum.
“The vision is really for an accelerated, above-and-beyond opportunity,” Eason said.
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