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Real Jobs for Real Life
As numbers in trades dwindle, state's voc-tech systems labors to fill breech
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Business New Haven
6/18/2001
By: Linda Mele
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Have you looked under the hood of your car lately? Do you remember the time when you knew what was under there, or you could at least ask the guy next door or your brother-in-law to take a look at your car and see why it keeps burning oil?
Well, if you look under your car's hood right now - maybe you need windshield wiper fluid - you would have to agree it's scary. Today, if you want to be what used to be called a “mechanic” you have to go where it seems few want to go - a school where you can learn about what's going on under the hood of your car.
Dominic Spera, superintendent of the state's Regional Vocational-Technical School System (RVTSS), in which an average of 8,700 to 11,000 students per year have been enrolled over the past three years, says the system is just about close to 96-percent capacity. Next year, he predicts, it will be back to 1987-88 levels.
“Three years ago, we had 120 students enrolled in our cooperative work program and this year there were 600 students in that program,” Spera says.
Connecticut's 85-year-old RVTSS is the largest system in the state, with about 10,500 full-time and 5,500 part-time students enrolled in 38 different occupational disciplines in 18 schools and two satellite schools across the state.
On the high school level, admission is free. On the “adult” level, there is a $25 non-refundable registration fee, a $600-per-semester tuition fee and students must purchase their own materials, book and supplies.
“Our motto is 'It's Where Careers Begin,'” Spera says, “and we're never satisfied. We need to keep getting better. We're the only school district in the state that actually prepares students to go directly to work after graduation.”
“About 60 percent of our [high school] graduates get full-time jobs, 30 percent go on to two- or four-year colleges and another four or five percent go into the armed services,” Spera says.
Dave Bouchard, owner of Bouchard Automotive in North Haven, is on the editorial advisory board of Brake & Front End Magazine, a member of the Ohio-based Car Care Council and a recipient of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence's Blue Seal of Excellence recognition program.
Until recently, he also hosted the Sunday afternoon Under the Hood program on WELI (960 AM) radio. Bouchard also has a Web site (www.bouchardauto.com) where he offers safe driving tips, links to other sites and discount coupons.
“My son went through the automotive technician course at Platt in Milford as well as the adult/college course and I'm getting ready to send another employee to the adult course at Gateway,” Bouchard says.
“It's turned into a sophisticated career,” Bouchard says, adding that in this era of computer-reliant automobiles, there are no more “grease monkeys or shade-tree mechanics.”
According to Bouchard, today's automotive technicians not only need to know how to operate computers but the wide range of sophisticated diagnostic equipment that's necessary to work on cars.
There is also a shortage of workers in the manufacturing arena, says Frank Johnson, executive director of the Waterbury-based Manufacturing Alliance of Connecticut.
According to MAC statistics:
- There are 5,803 manufacturing establishments in Connecticut;
- The state's manufacturing industry currently employs 17-percent or 252,706 workers out of the state's total workforce;
- Manufacturers have a total annual payroll of $10.5 billion;
- Connecticut manufacturers export more than $7 billion of goods each year.
- Manufacturing employees an average wage of $15.81 per hour - 60 percent higher than service-sector wages;
- The state's manufacturers shipped $48.2 billion worth of goods in the same year they paid out $1.9 billion in new capital expenditures;
- Connecticut manufacturers buy $9.6 billion in goods and services from other companies in the state;
- Manufacturers pay $170.8 million in sales taxes in addition to the $142.6 million paid in corporate income taxes to the state;
- Connecticut ranks first in the nation in new patent activity, with more than 50 percent of the total number of new patents in the state going to manufacturers;
-The state's manufacturers produce one third more commodities with one third fewer workers than they did ten years ago.
“The biggest complaint we hear is that there aren't enough skilled workers to fill the demand,” Johnson says. Of the state's 10,500 full-time RVTS students, only 680 across the state are in programs related to manufacturing.
The lack of students interested in making manufacturing a career can be traced to the stigma that clings to it.
The dirty, smelly sweatshops of a generation ago have largely been replaced by refined operations that require knowledge beyond that of merely pushing buttons. Again, computers play a central role in today's manufacturing environments and employees need that knowledge.
In addition, the parents of today's high school students who worked in manufacturing want a “better” life for their children so they're steering them away from jobs in industry toward the so-called professional occupations such as doctors, lawyers and accountants.
“Tech ed is often viewed as a second-class alternative,” says Gene LaPorta, director of Platt, “and many parents don't understand that their sons and daughters can receive a quality education in the state's technical schools.”
“Do we have a sufficient number of graduates to fill the need? No,” LaPorta acknowledges. “The demand over the past three or four years is higher than it's ever been, so we have a 95- to 98-percent placement ratio.”
There is also a shortage of skilled workers and of young people who want to make trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical and cooking a career.
Says Ray Mencio, construction technology consultant to the Regional Vocational Technical School System, “There is a great shortage of construction personnel - not just in Connecticut, but across the country.”
But we already knew that, didn't we? Just try and get a plumber to come out to your house or business some Saturday afternoon.
And, if you aren't aware of all the requirements of national, state and local building codes, don't even try to build that deck or add on a room at your house without first consulting a licensed contractor.
Even Bob Vila and Norm Abrams of This Old House fame have to check out the rules and regulations whenever they worked on a home.
But with licensed plumbers, carpenters and electricians seemingly going the way of the dinosaur, if we don't train enough students to fill the need, that six-hour wait for a plumber may well become a six-week wait.
Just ask Donna Lindgren, executive director of the Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center, how much she and the center rely on students from Platt and Emett O'Brien RVT schools.
“They certainly have saved us a lot of money,” Lindgren says. “They've done all the carpentry, electrical and plumbing work on the Redwing Pond House.
“Of course they're supervised and we have to buy the materials,” Lindgren adds, “but we never could have afforded to do this project if we didn't have volunteers and students to help.”
“I hope it's been a learning experience for everyone,” Lindgren says.
On the undergraduate level, there are also 19 cities and towns that host regional vocational agriculture schools where high school students can get a hands-on education specializing in marine/aquatic life.
To try to fulfill the demand, the state's RVTSS is upgrading programs and equipment.
“We lead the state in the number of computers per student,” Spera says, “and we teach students a work ethic which seems to be lacking in most young people.”
“We make them develop personal responsibility by adhering to a strict attendance policy and a code of discipline,” Spera says. “They also learn to work in a team so they will fit in with the growing global economy.
“We want our students to know what it means to show up on time, ready to work. We also want them to have what we call 'life skills' such as how to write a business letter and a résumé as well as how to interview,” Spera says.
“We'd love to fill every vacancy, but we can't do that if we don't have students interested in vocational/technical careers.” For employers who need qualified candidates to fill positions within their companies, these contacts can also prove invaluable.
Regional/Vocational Education Centers
Ansonia: Emett O'Brien
Bridgeport: Bullard-Havens
Bristol: Bristol T.E.C.
Danbury: Abbott
Danielson: Ellis
Enfield: Cheney Satellite
Groton: Ella T. Grasso
Hamden: Eli Whitney
Hartford: Prince
Manchester: Cheney
Meriden: Wilcox
Middletown: Vinal
Milford: Platt
New Britain: Goodwin
Norwich: Norwich
Stamford: Wright
Stratford: SSAMT
Torrington: Wolcott
Waterbury: Kaynor
Find the high school nearest you and call 1-800-U-CAN-TECH (1-800-822-6832) or visit the RVTSS online at (www.cttech.org). The RVTSS in Connecticut is fully accredited and free to state residents. Transportation is also provided for undergraduate students.
Or contact the Office of Public Information, Connecticut Department of Education, 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06145 (860-566-5677).
On the college level, the state's community college network, under the auspices of the Department of Higher Education, also offers a wide range of vocational/technical courses. Reach it online at www.ctdhe.org or contact: Department of Higher Education, 61 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105-2326 (860-947-1800, fax 860-947-1310.
And for a full list of colleges and universities in the state, check out www.ctdhe.org/dheweb/toc.htm.
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