South Shore Vo-Tech filling a need for students, parents

HANOVER-Vocational schools have been in the news in recent weeks, thanks to President Donald Trump's comments on the need for more vocational schools in his State of the Union Address on Jan. 30.

"Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential," President Trump said.

The president also voiced his desire to spread a more positive image about both vocational schools and community colleges.

"You learn mechanical, you learn bricklaying and carpentry and all of these things," Trump said. "We don't have that very much anymore. And I think the world 'vocational' is a much better word than in many cases, a community college. A lot of people don't know what a community college means or represents." Even the Democrats got in on the vo-tech message as Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III delivered the Democratic response to State of the Union on Jan. 30 from Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River.

In response to the president's comments and Kennedy's rebuttal on behalf of Democrats, the superintendent of South Shore Vocational Technical High School, Thomas Hickey, said, "I'm happy that there continues to be national attention on vocational technical education." Hickey also pointed out that vocational schools and community colleges are different, despite what the president made it seem.

"Schools with vocational technical programs and community colleges do have some shared goals in terms of courses for career pathways, but they are not synonymous in terms of mission or design," Hickey said.

"However, what vocational schools and community colleges do have in common is a need for more funding," Hickey said. "Increased federal investment in equipment and infrastructure will help expand access to high-quality vocational technical programming and it will assist local communities with cost sharing for such expansion." South Shore Vo-Tech, whose student body has been growing steadily the past 20 years, has reached 650 students in grades nine through 12 and some of their programs are over capacity.

"Space is always an issue in terms of safety," Hickey said. "In a traditional learning facility, to deal with over capacity you just stick another desk in the back. Here, we have heavy and complex machinery, in the case of the electrical and metal work programs. We do what we can to accommodate everyone and we provide the students the ability and resources to gain industry recognized licenses in their chosen fields, which is why I think our enrollment has been on a steady increase for the last 20 years." South Shore Vo-Tech, located in Hanover on Webster Street, has a wide range of vocational programs ranging from culinary arts to welding to health care.

"We try to listen to the community and what its needs are in terms of employment," Hickey said. "We provide relevant courses and programs for the jobs that the community believes it needs.

Our kids are ready on day one to enter the job market.

After graduation, they're fully employable." South Shore Vo-Tech, which includes students from Abington, Hanson, Rockland and Whitman, offers students many educational opportunities, whether their goals are college-oriented or seeking immediate employment upon graduation. Hickey said that the administration and teachers expect a lot from their students.

"These programs are rigorous and academically challenging for our students and they'll only get something out of this education if they heighten their communication and technical skills," Hickey said. "I cannot say enough about our teachers who inspire students from 8-12 different communities and foster a caring environment with high expectations." This is certainly true with the certifications that many of the programs require for graduation. Culinary students must be ServeSafe certified as well as receive an Allergy Awareness Certification before graduating. Allied health students must receive numerous nursing and first aid certifications for future employment opportunities.

Bob Mello, one of the teachers in the metal fabrication and welding program, said that the school and its teachers are effectively preparing its students for the job market.

"Occasionally we get students coming back to thank us for how hard we were on them in terms of maintaining standards and making them follow specific protocols because now they're employed and feel comfortable and experienced in their field," Mello said.

Students Rosa Gachia, Cole Hoadley and Taylor McKinnon, all seniors and active student leaders, feel that they're prepared for both the job market and their futures at college.

Gachia, who is part of the allied health program at South Shore Vo-Tech, is attending Bridgewater State University to study biology and hopefully attend grad school to pursue a career in medicine.

Hoadley, part of the welding program, is planning to attend Massasoit for business administration as well as working during his schooling.

McKinnon is part of the culinary program at South Shore Vo-Tech and will be attending Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island for its hospitality program.

"I'm a fourth-generation student here at SSVT," McKinnon said. "My brothers went here and I want to be a chef of some kind and felt that this school was in my best interest." "I came here because my father wanted me to pursue a career in the health field," Gachia said. "I really enjoy it here and I want to go to school to become a cardiothoracic surgeon." "My father has always been interested in the technical side of things," Hoadley said. "But my grandmother has been interested in the culinary field.

I started off in the culinary program but transferred to welding because I found it more interesting and more my speed." Through the rigorous course load as well as becoming state certified for their fields, the students of South Shore Vo-Tech are more than ready to either enter the job market upon graduation, or advance to higher learning centers for their intended fields of study.

Other communities served by South Shore Vo-Tech include Cohasset, Hanover, Norwell and Scituate.

For more information on South Shore Vocational Technical High School, visit www.ssvotech.org.

Contact Kate Walsh at kwalsh@wickedlocal.com