Vocational ed

JOEL DAVIDSON

Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Once again, Mat-Su students demonstrated that the Valley is filled a competent young work force.

Earlier this month, more than 100 Mat-Su Borough students took on career and vocational students from around the state to determine who had the highest proficiency and skill in a host of competitions, ranging from cabinet making to small business management. Students competed both in individual competitions and as teams.

As is customary, the Mat-Su student delegation, with roughly 120 students, made up nearly half of the statewide competitors in the SkillsUSA and Business Professionals of America competitions. Many of the top students will now head on to national events in Kansas City, Mo., and Orlando, Fla.

Kris Forrester is the director for the Career and Technical Education Department for the Mat-Su School District. The reason Valley students do so well is that they have resources and support available, she said.

&#8220We do pretty well because of the support from the school board and local support for the vocational programs,” she added. &#8220A lot of these kids are getting training that they would normally get at college.”

Vocational education, the idea of incorporating job training and career and technical skills into standard high school curriculum, is a growing trend both nationally and in the Mat-Su. In 2007, the Mat-Su will open its first high school that is specifically dedicated to providing students with workplace skills while they learn educational standards such as reading, writing and mathematics.

Forrester estimated that 90 percent of Mat-Su students are already taking at least one credit in career and vocational training before they graduate. By 2010, the school board plans to make vocational credits a requirement for graduation.

Ray Jensen is the State SkillsUSA Director for Alaska, as well as a drafting teacher at Wasilla High School. About 60 students from the Valley brandished their skills in everything from architecture, automotive and computer technology, to carpentry, telecommunications, video production, nursing, welding and drafting. Palmer, Colony, and Wasilla high schools all competed on the statewide level and they took home 27 first- , second- , and third-place finishes.

&#8220This is real important to these kids,” Jensen said. &#8220What are most of them going to do after school? They need some kind of employability skills.”

Many of the vocational students, in fact, already hold jobs or apprenticeships with local businesses around the state, Forrester said. In many cases, business leaders are serving as teachers and trainers in the vocational classes.

Palmer High School teacher Steve Cook serves as the state advisor for the Business Professionals of America competitions, which ran simultaneously with the SkillsUSA showdown. Cook said the Valley represented 60 of the 80 statewide competitors.

&#8220The Mat-Su is the district that got it going and we've always been the driving force behind the state competition,” Cook explained.

Through preparing for the competitions, students are placed in situations where they must hone leadership skills, teamwork and organizational talents that employers are looking for, Cook said.

&#8220They are members of committees and learning leadership,” he added. &#8220They are also having to prove what they learned in class.”

At both state and nationals, the business and industry community is a prominent fixture. Business owners and industry officials sponsor many of the events and use the opportunity to glean talented young workers to replace the growing number of retiring Baby Boomers, a problems that is particularly felt in Alaska when it come to the construction trades.

Many of the top performers are eligible for scholarships, prizes and future training opportunities. Jensen said he knows of several Mat-Su students who landed interviews with businesses thanks to their performance at the SkillsUSA competitions.

In June, Jensen will take Alaska's top SkillsUSA winners to nationals, where thousands of young workers vie for honors that often lead to future career opportunities.

&#8220At the national competition, they have a whole convention center full of students,” Forrester said. &#8220National sponsors like GM, Boeing and The Home Depot will be there - it is phenomenal to watch the students.”

In addition to the SkillsUSA competitors, nearly 30 Mat-Su students will also compete in the national Business Professionals of America competition in Orlando, Fla. These students will demonstrate everything from office skills and business planning, to public speaking, business technology and a host of other job skills.

&#8220There will be over 6,000 students at nationals,” Cook said. &#8220These students are really into it and it gets pretty intense.”

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266 or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.