Finish this statement: When my child graduates from High School, I hope…
…he will have learned to be a great problem solver.
…she will have taken steps toward the career she will work toward in college.
…he will have earned college credit that will propel him forward.
…she will have learned to relate positively to the people around her.
…he will have had opportunities to explore different practical skills.
…she will have been given the chance to learn by having hands-on projects to do.
However you might have finished that statement, you need to know that Area 31 Career Center offers a chance to make all the above statements true. I had the privilege recently of taking a tour of Area 31, located on the campus of Ben Davis High School. Having attended Ben Davis High School myself, I entered the school with one very clear expectation of what I would see, and when I left, I felt inspired by how very different my perceptions were from the reality of the fantastic education being offered to our students through the Area 31 Career Center. If your child has an interest in one of the many areas of study that are offered there, I encourage you to look into this tremendous opportunity. High School graduates who have come through Area 31 regularly go on to study in colleges and universities in Indiana and around the country such as Indiana, MIT, Purdue, IUPUI, Culinary Institute of America, and many, many others. Students enter these higher education schools having earned college credits from Area 31; and in the case Aviation Maintenance, Culinary Arts, Pharmacy Tech, and Precision Machining, students can enter post-secondary education already holding an Associate’s Degree. Every day, these students are reading, writing, learning, thinking, and problem solving.
What is Area 31?
If you’re like several people I’ve talked to, the first thing you wondered might have been “Isn’t that where the government keeps the aliens?” That’s Area 51! And…we don’t know what’s there.
Area 31, however, is a Career Center that offers fully-immersive, hands-on experiences in a wide variety of subject areas to students from many high school communities on the West side of Indianapolis, including Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Cascade, Danville, Decatur Central, Monrovia, Mooresville, Plainfield, Speedway, and Tri-West. Students have the opportunity to take classes and gain experience in fields ranging from Radio Broadcasting to Criminal Justice and from Fire and Rescue to Pharmacy Tech. While most of the classes taken through Area 31 are on the campus of Ben Davis High School, some are offered off-site, depending on the class content.
Who are the educators at the Area 31 Career Center?
While I was touring the facility, I was able to witness some of the learning that was taking place. Every student I encountered was engaged and learning, every teacher I observed was passionate, enthusiastic, and highly knowledgeable.
Educators in Area 31 come from several different places. Some teachers are post-secondary staff who provide college-level instruction on the high school campus. These instructors represent programs from Vincennes University and Kaplan College. Other teachers are licensed high school educators who offer collegiate degrees in their content area. Several teachers have obtained masters degrees as well. Lastly, many teachers bring years of credible industry experience into the classroom. These instructors have received continued training in pedagogy, and they teach under a Workplace Specialist license.
I’m excited to share with you that many of these educators have specific industry experience to bring into the classroom. For example, one of the Criminal Justice teachers is a retired detective who is able to use first hand experiences to teach students about differences between interviewing and interrogation. The chefs who work in the Culinary Arts program are professional trained by the Culinary Institute of America, and some have worked in the kitchens of restaurants in major cities all over the country, including Las Vegas, which is known for its fine cuisine. The instructors in the Radio and TV program have worked in major professional radio and TV stations, and they are able to bring that first-hand experience to the classroom, and share it with the students.
If Area 31 is not on Avon’s campus, how do Avon students participate?
Roughly 150 Avon students attend Area 31 Career Center each day. While some students drive to Area 31, Avon High School sends buses twice per day. Participating in these fantastic programs has never been easier for our students. Some of the classes are even offered on Avon’s campus, as well.
What is the Middle Skills Gap?
A subtle but severe problem existing in our community today is called the Middle Skills Gap. We have an abundance of professionals – doctors, lawyers, business owners, and executives. We also have sufficient entry-level workers at the various companies in our community as well. All of those jobs are essential to the steady clockwork motion of our towns and cities. However, there is a deficiency in the number of people who are capable of many of the balanced skill-sets that are critical, such as precision machine operators, computer networking experts, construction trades foremen, HVAC professionals, etc. Employees in these positions frequently earn more money that those who hold Bachelor degrees in Liberal Arts. Furthermore, many positions also offer the benefit of flexible work hours.
Over half of the jobs in the United States qualify as positions that require “middle skills.” Sometimes, these jobs require an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree, but they certainly require more than a high school diploma. Large firms regularly suffer because they are unable to hire properly qualified individuals for their openings requiring middle skills.
Area 31 Career Center is helping to bridge the gap! All Area 31 programs offer college credits, and most offer industry recognized certifications. The majority of students go on to attend college or participate in apprenticeship programs, and they regularly utilize the skills they learned at Area 31 to keep a well-paying job that keeps them afloat during their college years. Some are using their skills as stepping stones the programs they are pursing in college; for example, they might have studied health care at Area 31, and they can build on that foundational knowledge in college as they move toward becoming a nurse, doctor, or biologist. Or as another example, students can use their training in Aviation from Area 31 to move toward becoming a pilot or a mechanical engineer.
Who should be taking advantage of the Area 31 Career Center?
Every student should explore the opportunities offered at the Area 31 Career Center. Regardless of their desired career, their involvement with other activities, or their class rank, all students would benefit from the fantastic life skills and job skills that are taught at Area 31. Please note that several programs receive far more enrollment applications then there are currently seats available. In such cases, objective data such as grades, attendance, verifiable test scores, and classroom behaviors are reviewed by a committee of teachers, counselors, administrators, and special education professionals. Students who have an interest in pursuing one of Area 31’s thirty 2-3 hour programs are encouraged to discuss opportunities with their high school counselor. Students and families are also encouraged schedule a tour of the Area 31 facilities (call: 317.988.7230).
Learn more about the Middle Skills Gap and how we can help close it:
http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2014/11/12/us-jobswhere-are-all-the-middle-skill-workers/
http://www.hbs.edu/competitiveness/Documents/bridge-the-gap.pdf
For information on the Area 31 Career Center, visit the website:
https://www.wayne.k12.in.us/area31/