Developing a Skilled Workforce

Business Partnerships + Career-Ready Students = NCCVT

BY JOSEPH JONES, ED.D.

“LEARN - EARN - GET AHEAD” is far more than just a motto for New Castle County Vo-Tech (NCCVT). Covering New Castle County with four high schools—Delcastle, Hodgson, Howard, and St. Georges—the District has a unique purpose, which is not only educating the whole child but also developing a skilled workforce that can contribute to thriving local industries. Knowing that by 2030 all baby boomers will be over the age of 65, NCCVT recognizes the role they play in developing students who can meet many of the needs of local companies: a role they welcome.

With 40 different career programs throughout the district and approximately 1,000 seniors in all four schools, NCCVT relies heavily on their capstone cooperative employment program. After students spend significant time in their career programs during their first three years of high school, the goal is for students to work in a job related to their career program during their senior year. NCCVT is fortunate to have incredible relationships with hundreds of business partners who recognize the value of having students work for them.

As John Gooden, president of M. Davis & Sons, states, “We’ve been working with NCCVT for more than three decades. Over those years, we adopted a longer view strategy to build our workforce by hiring co-ops and graduates and then training them through the apprenticeship program, which also happens to run in their schools. This program has helped us manage the boomer transition as many people who started here as co-ops are now supervisors and managers. The instructors and administration continuously seek feedback from employer partners, which keeps their graduates at the top of their game.”

Through a rich curriculum, state-of-the-art career and technical classrooms, an exceptional staff, and a thriving Adult Education Division, NCCVT’s mission of providing a superior career and technical education enables all students to achieve their aspirations. This mission, coupled with the realization of the state’s workforce needs, clarifies their purpose and helps them stay focused on their “why.”

This can be illustrated in a recent example. As the pandemic continued to cause mass disruption—especially impacting employees—NCCVT was fortunate to have more than 110 senior students working in the health care industry this school year. These students filled a critical gap at a time when the need for knowledgeable, skilled health care workers was dire.

The ability to contribute to the community and help during a workforce shortage is what NCCVT is all about. Community and civic responsibilities are values of the District, and having students being a part of a dynamic workforce, earning great wages, and contributing to their own families while growing their skills is the power of NCCVT and a clear example of how #NCCVTworks.

Joseph Jones, Ed.D. is superintendent of the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District.