Finding your true calling

The goal of a high school education is to prepare a person for the real-life world of adulthood and a career.

Whether it be going to college, the military or finding a job, students hope to have some sort of future in mind as they receive their high school diploma.

Mount Vernon High School and the Knox Technical Center have joined together to find a future path for those closing in on graduation that are still not sure what that path may be. OTC-Plus is a dual credit program for high school seniors, which enables them to earn high school credit and career-tech credentials through that partnership.

“It’s not just get you to graduation, my motto has been let’s get you through graduation and what’s on the other side. It’s preparing kids to get the next step. They can tier to build on those credentials,” said Christine Keaton, career readiness adviser at Mount Vernon High School.

The idea was borne a couple of years ago when MVHS had some students that were ready to graduate early but didn’t have a plan for what they would do after graduation. Those students came to Keaton, hoping to get into the Knox County Career Center or some sort of trade school, but couldn’t because it was too late.

“I, as the career adviser, was assessing our building and found out we have juniors and seniors here who are not on the trajectory of what they want for a career,” Keaton said. “They either didn’t get into the career center because the programs were full or didn’t know enough about what they wanted to assess their skill level at that time, or they had an epiphany and changed their direction.”

Keaton reached out to Amy Thompson, financial aid coordinator at Knox Technical Center, to see if there was any way to help them get financial help for them to attend adult classes at KTC after graduation. Thompson showed her a new state program, OTC-Plus, that would fund those adult classes while still in high school.

“I said, ‘hang on, let’s not graduate them right away.’ The state has come out with a new program, similar to college credit plus, where a student, a high school senior, can attend an Ohio Technical Center and it be fully funded through the school,” Thompson said. “So, we took a look, we lived and learned. The state says it needs to be an industry in demand.

“We built these programs to just focus on the high school seniors, not necessarily mixing them in with our adult classes, but building a calendar for them that gave them more time. If they were struggling with content, there was help and support for them. Then, we’re offering them during the day. So, if a student is in a sport, band or a job, it will still work for them.”

OTC-Plus offers four different credentialed programs for the seniors at Mount Vernon, East Knox and the Knox County Career Center. Students can take classes for Public Safety (EMT Basic, and Firefighter I and II), NATCEP (Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program), Medical Assistant and Phlebotomy.

The classes are offered Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. That allows the students the opportunity to still take any needed high school class in the morning, as well as attend practices for sports or band after school, or even work a part-time job.

The Medical Assistant program has been a highlight of OTC-Plus, as it gives students a great foundation to work in the field of medicine. Whether they stay as a medical assistant or work their way further into being a nurse or even physician, Lou Shultz, KTC program coordinator, said it sets the stage for many different pathways in the medical field.

“A medical assistant is cross trained – 50 percent administrative, 50 percent clinical,” Shultz said. “So, medical assistants are made for a physician’s practice, and they can do anything a nurse can do. They just aren’t licensed to work independently in a hospital or nursing home.

“You can work in medical assisting the rest of your life. it’s great daytime job. No nights, weekends or holidays. However, a lot of them the next step Is nursing. They rock nursing programs because of their backgrounds. We’re hoping some of our students will come in and do that. The learn how to draw blood, give EKGs, give injections and they are thoroughly administratively trained too. It’s a nice program to get their feet wet, if nothing else.”

As Keaton worked things out with Thompson, Shultz and KTC for those four programs, another opportunity came her way. The Newark Electrical Apprenticeship developed out a need for qualified electricians, especially in Licking County.

Local IBEW 1105 out of Licking County needed 1,200 apprentices and created an electrician apprenticeship is a four-year program where students receive a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. The students earn a living wage while they learn the trade. After the apprenticeship is over, they are guaranteed an interview for a full-time job.

“Our 2025 grads of the program, all five, plus two friends they brought along and joined them are in the field and making money. We have six or seven for next year’s class, and have six or seven 10th graders looking,” Keaton said. “Word has spread, especially when post they purchased a new truck. They’re making money hand over fist because of overtime. They can go anywhere within this area. … They found their passion. It’s connecting them to their passion.”