Graduates in spotlight for starting careers
LANCASTER — Alex Roark never loved school, and he didn’t think college would be an option.
The 18-year-old from the Fairfield County community of Royalton always loved working with his hands, though, so he enrolled in the Eastland-fairfield Career and Technical Schools as a junior to get certified in heating, ventilation and cooling instead. Just a couple of months after graduation, he is working full time for Accurate HVAC and Plumbing in Lancaster.
Roark and a handful of other recent Fairfield County high school graduates were recognized Tuesday for starting jobs with local businesses at a “career signing day” hosted by the Fairfield 33 Development Alliance in downtown Lancaster. Modeled after the ceremonies that high school studentathletes hold when they commit to attend a university, the event celebrated students from high schools and career centers across the county who decided to take jobs right out of school with companies in fields such as concrete work and auto repair.
“Signing day is a big deal for student-athletes that are moving on to play their sport in college,” said Rick Szabrak, director of Fairfield County Economic Development. “We feel that a student that graduates and pursues a local career should be celebrated equally.”
Less than 2% of college football players end up playing in the NFL, Szabrak said. Meanwhile, 36% of Fairfield County high school graduates don’t attend college, and 41% of those who do won’t graduate. Given that only about a third of all high school graduates in the county receive a college degree, Szabrak said a large portion of the potential workforce is being ignored.
“We’re just hoping they get a job,” Szabrak said. “Students don’t know what all is out there. There’s more than just college or military right out of school.”
Dean Derolph understands the importance of tapping into the younger workforce. As the president of Kumler Collision & Automotive in Lancaster, Derolph said it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find young, qualified technicians to work for him.
Szabrak has seen it, too. The biggest complaint he gets from local businesses is about a lack of young people to fill positions. With 35% of Fairfield County’s economy supported by manufacturing and trade jobs, he said that communities need young people taking the jobs if they want to be successful.
“Maybe it’s a stigma about blue-collar jobs that kids are being steered away from,” Derolph said, “but young people just don’t realize you can make a great living doing this.”
Of the 17 technicians working at the body shop, about half arrived right out of high school, Derolph said. His most recent hire, Ashton Monohon, also “committed” at the career signing day.
Monohon, 19, of Bremen, got interested in fixing cars as a kid and always wanted to make it a career. Like Roark, Monohon said that starting his career right out of technical school seemed like a better fit, so he has been at Kumler for three months learning the trade.
Derolph, who stood beside Monohon as he committed to the body shop alongside mentor Ron Mcdole, said events such as signing day show how eager local businesses are to hire young people.
“We’re excited about their careers, and it shows that they should be, too,” Derolph said.