Miami Valley CTC grows next generation of skilled workers
A local career tech school is working to create the next wave of skilled workers.
The Miami Valley Career Technology Center is working to equip junior and senior high school students with training in several in-demand skilled trades. The only problem is the demand for these skills is so high the CTC and other similar schools are running out of space for students.
Located in Clayton, Miami Valley CTC is a local career center that trains high school students in over 43 career-tech programs.
Its main facility has been under expansion and reconstruction for the last five years. The facility started as three separate buildings, and over the past five years, it has worked to combine those three separate buildings into one single structure. This August, they were able to fully open the completed structure.
Despite this significant increase in square footage and class sizes, the CTC has had to turn away students. There's a waitlist for interested students.
“We're just finishing our new building, but we're already out of space,” said Nick Weldy superintendent for Miami Valley CTC. “We built this building to take on more students, and you can see we've grown as a district significantly due to that. Now we've got another 200 to 300 kids on a waitlist that we can't fit in here. It's hard to tell students, yeah, we've got the program here you want, but we just don't have enough room to put you in it.”
This influx of students reflects a growing demand for workers in the skilled trades industries. Trades like carpentry, welding, electrical wiring, and others in the construction trades have seen a growing need for employees, creating a culture of strong jobs with great pay.
In May 2023, electricians made an average of $61,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Dayton area has specifically seen a rise in the number of skilled trade workers needed due to the amount of construction projects. Many businesses have made expansion and new facility announcements. Weldy said career centers in the area are doing their best to meet the demands of a growing workforce.
Weldy said he appreciates the amount of money the state is investing in local trade schools, but says it isn’t enough. It doesn’t match the amount of new work coming into the area through investments into new companies like Joby Aviation and Intel.
“Our Governor and Lt. Governor are dialed in on workforce development,” Weldy said. “They're driving dollars into equipment and facilities for trade schools but it's just not enough. We need to grow as fast as they're bringing new businesses in, we've got to supply them with a workforce, and we got to train that workforce. I think, right now, it's a little off balance.”
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