High school student enrollment for career and technical education programs at Orange-Ulster BOCES has increased by more than 300 in the past three years.
Enrollment at the school suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic but steadily climbed back to more than 2,100 this year, which is higher than it was before COVID-19, according to Orange-Ulster BOCES Director of Career and Technical Education Kathleen Smith.
Among the 30 or so career and technical programs provided by the regional public education institution, construction, culinary, and health programs saw the biggest jumps this year.
Orange-Ulster BOCES Deputy Superintendent Kerri Stroka told The Epoch Times that the enrollment growth could be attributed to hands-on teaching by engaged instructors, professional and up-to-date advice from industry partners, and the recognition of the value of trades by parents and students.
“Students and families are keenly aware of the employment landscape,” Ms. Stroka said. “They recognize the vast career opportunities that exist in our communities and are excited to take advantage of well-paying jobs that allow them to live in their own hometown.”
Enrolled students hail from 17 local public school systems in the Orange-Ulster BOCES district.
The electrical construction technology program, one of the most popular tracks at Orange-Ulster BOCES, has more than doubled to more than 140 students since 2018, according to program instructor Kevin Trass.
Mr. Trass told The Epoch Times that the basic skills that students learn from the program are beneficial no matter what trade they later decide to pursue, be it plumbing, heating, or air conditioning.
Aside from hands-on experience, the program also provides theoretical studies that help students understand the theory behind electrical work.
“There are so few opportunities for kids to get this knowledge in any way, shape, or form, even when they are working in the field,” Mr. Trass said. “It is very unlikely for somebody that is coming directly out of high school to wind up with a job making $20 or $30 an hour, and that is something that we see on a regular basis.”
Besides traditional career tracks, the electrical field has expanded in recent years to new frontiers such as electric cars and solar, he noted.
Welding, another popular program at Orange-Ulster BOCES, has about 30 students enrolled this year, with a waiting list just as big, according to program instructor Nick Wermer.
“Everybody likes it—sparks, flames, and fire, and the potential for employment is great,” Mr. Wermer told The Epoch Times. “Between here and New York City, there is welding in almost everything, from automobile to construction to plumbing and stage set assembling.”
Last year, four high school seniors in the welding program were hired before graduation, he said.
The culinary program is also highly sought-after, and it added a new instructor months ago and increased its enrollment to about 180 this year.
Robert Heppes, who has been a program instructor for more than two decades, told The Epoch Times that the popularity of TV shows such as those on Food Network got a lot of students interested in such a career track and that he would be very upfront with them about the reality of the job on day one of the program.
“I will ask them: ‘Who wants to work nights, weekends, and holidays, 10 hours a day, and six days a week? Come on. Let’s go,’” Mr. Heppes said. “We try to impress upon them that you are not going to hurt my feelings if you don’t want to be a chef—it is not for everybody.”
Regardless of the career track one chooses, everybody benefits from some culinary lessons, he said.
“It is a life skill,” Mr. Heppes said. “Everyone has to eat—either you are going to pay somebody to feed you or you can do it yourself.”
Ms. Smith said the steady enrollment increases at Orange-Ulster BOCES came as the organization constantly found ways to meet the challenges of maintaining the quality of existing programs and coming up with new programs based on industry trends.
“We try to keep our finger on the pulse of what is going on, and we pay close attention to the labor market projections. What are the employers looking for? What is the next big trade?” she said, noting that a new home health care program was added this year based on market demand.
Last year, voters in the Orange-Ulster BOCES district passed a $159 million capital project to improve the special education and career and technical program facilities at two main campuses—one on Gibson Road and the other at the former Arden Hill Hospital—in Goshen.
About 80 percent of the money was planned for major infrastructure upgrades, such as roof replacement and HVAC upgrades; another $14 million, or about 9 percent of the total project cost, was allocated for adding new classrooms, according to a project plan published before the vote.
