More students pursuing vocational studies at CVCC

by Melissa Martin

Oct. 16 school board meeting

As college costs continue to skyrocket nationwide, Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District officials say the number of their high school students seeking vocational careers after graduation is on the upswing.

According to statistics presented to the school board by Rachel Malec, the district representative to Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, 19% of BBH’s junior class is enrolled in programs at CVCC, as are approximately 21% of the senior class.

“And if they had room, those numbers would be even higher,” BBH Superintendent Jeffrey Harrison told the school board. “We have students who would like to attend the career center who, unfortunately, are on a wait list.”

The change has been significant over the last six to eight years, school board President Mark Dosen said.

“We used to not use all our seats, and our seats were being given to students in other districts because we didn’t have enough student interest,” he said.

Now there is a wait list at BBHHS to get into some programs, Malec said, noting that CVCC’s construction trades and heavy machinery programs are programs experiencing significant growth. The construction trades program has a wait list of 70 students. Classes are limited to 24 students for each program.

CVCC serves eight school districts, including BBH, Garfield Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence, Nordonia, North Royalton, Revere and Twinsburg.

The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services projects an 11 percent increase in the number of construction managers needed by 2028. The projected increase of workers needed is 5.3% for construction trade workers, 8% for construction laborers and 8% for electricians.

To help meet growing demand, Malec said CVCC has recently broken ground on a $12.2 million, two-story laboratory addition for high school students, as well as adults, studying the construction trades.

A $9 million grant from the state will cover about three-quarters of the cost of the 21,500-square-foot building and CVCC will pay the remaining $3.2 million. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

CVCC’s construction programs include electrical systems, building property maintenance and heating and air conditioning. A parks and environmental services program also will be added by the 2026-2027 school year.

“The college-for-all mentality isn’t necessarily the same as it used to be nor should it be because the trends are changing and the job force is changing,” Harrison said.

To keep up with this latest shift, Harrison said the district is focusing on career tech preferences as part of its strategic plan.   

“We’ve been trying to incorporate some of the career tech trends as part of some of our coursework at the high school to prepare our students [prior to graduation],” he said. “Depending on their career path, that may mean attending a college or university, or it may mean a trade school or an apprenticeship.’’

Harrison said the goal is to expose students to alternative options before they attend college.

“We’ve had lots of conversations about offering some career tech programming in-house at the high school for students who are unable to attend the career center,” he said.

Harrison told the board the district will explore offering those courses sooner rather than later. ∞