Pathways toward career and personal success
Medina County Career Center proving four years of college isn’t the only option for teens, adults
Medina County Career Center’s Cosmetology department recently underwent a $600,000 renovation. It operates as a real business open to the public. Photos by KEVIN MCMANUS
The early childhood education program at MCCC, which operates as a real daycare, is for those interested in entering the education field.
Medina County Career Center’s Chef and Restaurant Management program functions as an eatery open to the general public known as Center Cafe.
A student at Medina County Career Center’s Chef and Restaurant Management program works to build a gingerbread house for the holidays.
Operating a printing press is one of several trades that can be learned at the Career Center’s Visual Media Imaging Academy.
Video editing is a key component of MCCC’s Visual Media Imaging Academy.
MCCC’s precision machining and engineering programs have evolved to help address a need for manufacturers in Medina County.
Students in MCCC’s diesel engine programs learn how to disassemble and reassemble real truck engines.
A student works on a bumper in MCCC’s auto collision and repair program.
Many students in MCCC’s health care programs aspire to go on to become doctors, nurses or other medical professionals.
Students in MCCC’s power equipment technology program work to repair a motorcycle.
Students in MCCC’s animal care and management program are exposed to a variety of animals, such as horses.
MEDINA – The old school mentality used to be “four years of college right after graduation is the only way to get a good job.”
That’s not true, and the Medina County Career Center has been working proof of that since it opened in 1974.
For years, MCCC administrators have been aware of the staggering numbers of individuals who enter into a four-year degree program after high school and never finish.
Add to that the overwhelming amount of students who finish – and even those who don’t – that are just crippled by student loan debt.
“Sometimes, they go into a direction that’s not a good fit,” said Christine Kurth, MCCC career services specialist. “Here, they can go into a direction they want to go into, or they can more easily shift into a different direction than they can at a four-year college.”
The overall philosophy at MCCC, according to Kurth and her colleagues, always comes back to what they call career “pathways.”
“A lot of students come here and take a program and some will go to college, but, for instance, in our machining program, you can take that program and you can then work as a machinist,” she said. “Maybe you want to continue, so you might pathway to get an associates degree and then maybe you want to become an engineer, you can pathway into engineering.”
Real experience
When career education is broken down into smaller pieces and pathways, students can finish at MCCC and work at a good wage for an employer who may even assist them in continuing their education while working in their desired field.
“A lot of times, it makes a lot of sense. You’re getting your job experience along with pathway-ing to that bachelor’s degree,” Kurth said, “which is a win-win situation.”
Between the two-year high school and the adult education programming offered at MCCC, everything from equipment to expertise are at respectable industry-standard levels. In the cosmetology program, for example, which actually operates as a salon-like business open to the general public, a recent $600,000 renovation ensures students are getting only the best.
“At the end of these two years, the students actually go to Columbus, they sit for state boards and they become licensed cosmetologists right out of high school,” Kurth said. “If you would take this program after high school, it would run you about $16,000, but here it’s a part of their high school education.”
The same goes for the early childhood education program, which runs an actual preschool onsite, when it comes to preparing students with real job experience.
“They can take this for two years, or they can take this for one year, which would be their junior year, and then their senior year they can do what’s called the teacher education academy, where they’re actually out in a classroom at a school and one quarter is elementary, one quarter is middle school, one quarter is high school, one quarter is special education,” Kurth said.
Another real, working business at MCCC is the chef and restaurant management program. Its restaurant, The Center Cafe, is open to the public every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Innovative programming
For a program like MCCC’s visual media imaging academy, the curriculums for graphic arts, digital design and video production all overlap, which is often expected of that industry’s practitioners.
“The reason we clustered them was because we realized that digital design needs to know some of the limits of graphics, graphics needs to have a comprehensive of digital and video production kind of overlays in the same way,” Kurth said. “There are some very creative students in that whole area.”
In construction trades, students learn everything from making a blueprint to building a real house; much like how students in the variety of automotive programs may learn how to assemble engines.
“How to install windows, how to install floors, basic plumbing, basic electrical, drywall and different roofing styles,” Kurth said. “Right now, the seniors are out on a job working with Habitat for Humanity and they are also working on the fire station refurbishing in downtown Medina.”
The HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) lab was started 12 years ago in response to a need for such professionals here in Medina County. The same goes for a still-in-the-works manufacturing academy, which will overlap with the current precision machining and engineering programs.
“In addition, the Manufacturing Academy will include an industry certified Production Technician program for adults,” Kurth said.
MCCC’s public safety program used to be just a law enforcement program, but with changes in how policing and public safety are performed, in most cases, police officers are the first responders in almost all emergency situations, so background in fire and emergency medical services certainly would only benefit someone wishing to become a police officer.
“Students in this program get their 256 Fire Certification right out of high school and go onto a fire department. They get their basic EMT certification, Hazmat training and they learn how to drive emergency vehicles,” Kurth said. “Some of them want that in law enforcement, so we feel we are building stronger police officers with all of this emergency knowledge.”
A full list of majors and programs can be viewed at MCJVS.edu.
Adult Diploma Program
A new component offered to adults has MCCC Adult Education Coordinator Peggy Reeves really excited. It’s the Ohio Department of Education’s Adult Diploma Program.
It allows students who are over 22, if they do not have a GED or high school diploma, to be eligible to apply for one of the approved programs, and if they can meet basic academic skill criteria and earn their credential, at the end of the program, they will have a high school diploma at no charge.
“The legislature put this in place and I think it’s one of the greatest things done in a while,” Reeves said.
MCCC was approved by the state to begin offering the Adult Diploma Program in August. Reeves said she is excited to eventually graduate students with industry credentials in a variety of fields.
“Typically, who we get are people looking to make big changes and I think that takes an awful lot of courage and a special kind of person to even walk through our door,” Reeves said. “If they can come here, we want to put our arms around them and keep them here.”
Personal enrichment
For those looking to take on a new, leisurely hobby or interest – maybe you’re recently retired and now have the time to give it a shot – MCCC offers a wide range of personal enrichment courses.
“They’re the kind of classes that people who don’t necessarily use our other services partake in,” Reeves said. “I think we’ve got some pretty nice things to offer.”
American Sign Language, clothing construction, creative writing, staging your house for sale, refinishing furniture, stained glass, Bible and religion studies and yoga are just some of the niche offerings.
The programming includes even some of the most interestingly-obscure subjects like canine massage therapy, college 101 for parents and Bob Ross’ “Joy of Painting,” which channels the oil painting methods of the late famous TV personality.
“How can we best serve the adults in our community? What can we do?” Kurth asked. “We’re being really progressive.”
The Medina County Career Center is located at 1101 W. Liberty St. in Medina. More information can be found at MCJVS.edu or by emailing info@mcjvs.edu or by calling 330-725-8461.
That’s not true, and the Medina County Career Center has been working proof of that since it opened in 1974.
For years, MCCC administrators have been aware of the staggering numbers of individuals who enter into a four-year degree program after high school and never finish.
Add to that the overwhelming amount of students who finish – and even those who don’t – that are just crippled by student loan debt.
“Sometimes, they go into a direction that’s not a good fit,” said Christine Kurth, MCCC career services specialist. “Here, they can go into a direction they want to go into, or they can more easily shift into a different direction than they can at a four-year college.”
The overall philosophy at MCCC, according to Kurth and her colleagues, always comes back to what they call career “pathways.”
“A lot of students come here and take a program and some will go to college, but, for instance, in our machining program, you can take that program and you can then work as a machinist,” she said. “Maybe you want to continue, so you might pathway to get an associates degree and then maybe you want to become an engineer, you can pathway into engineering.”
Real experience
When career education is broken down into smaller pieces and pathways, students can finish at MCCC and work at a good wage for an employer who may even assist them in continuing their education while working in their desired field.
“A lot of times, it makes a lot of sense. You’re getting your job experience along with pathway-ing to that bachelor’s degree,” Kurth said, “which is a win-win situation.”
Between the two-year high school and the adult education programming offered at MCCC, everything from equipment to expertise are at respectable industry-standard levels. In the cosmetology program, for example, which actually operates as a salon-like business open to the general public, a recent $600,000 renovation ensures students are getting only the best.
“At the end of these two years, the students actually go to Columbus, they sit for state boards and they become licensed cosmetologists right out of high school,” Kurth said. “If you would take this program after high school, it would run you about $16,000, but here it’s a part of their high school education.”
The same goes for the early childhood education program, which runs an actual preschool onsite, when it comes to preparing students with real job experience.
“They can take this for two years, or they can take this for one year, which would be their junior year, and then their senior year they can do what’s called the teacher education academy, where they’re actually out in a classroom at a school and one quarter is elementary, one quarter is middle school, one quarter is high school, one quarter is special education,” Kurth said.
Another real, working business at MCCC is the chef and restaurant management program. Its restaurant, The Center Cafe, is open to the public every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Innovative programming
For a program like MCCC’s visual media imaging academy, the curriculums for graphic arts, digital design and video production all overlap, which is often expected of that industry’s practitioners.
“The reason we clustered them was because we realized that digital design needs to know some of the limits of graphics, graphics needs to have a comprehensive of digital and video production kind of overlays in the same way,” Kurth said. “There are some very creative students in that whole area.”
In construction trades, students learn everything from making a blueprint to building a real house; much like how students in the variety of automotive programs may learn how to assemble engines.
“How to install windows, how to install floors, basic plumbing, basic electrical, drywall and different roofing styles,” Kurth said. “Right now, the seniors are out on a job working with Habitat for Humanity and they are also working on the fire station refurbishing in downtown Medina.”
The HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) lab was started 12 years ago in response to a need for such professionals here in Medina County. The same goes for a still-in-the-works manufacturing academy, which will overlap with the current precision machining and engineering programs.
“In addition, the Manufacturing Academy will include an industry certified Production Technician program for adults,” Kurth said.
MCCC’s public safety program used to be just a law enforcement program, but with changes in how policing and public safety are performed, in most cases, police officers are the first responders in almost all emergency situations, so background in fire and emergency medical services certainly would only benefit someone wishing to become a police officer.
“Students in this program get their 256 Fire Certification right out of high school and go onto a fire department. They get their basic EMT certification, Hazmat training and they learn how to drive emergency vehicles,” Kurth said. “Some of them want that in law enforcement, so we feel we are building stronger police officers with all of this emergency knowledge.”
A full list of majors and programs can be viewed at MCJVS.edu.
Adult Diploma Program
A new component offered to adults has MCCC Adult Education Coordinator Peggy Reeves really excited. It’s the Ohio Department of Education’s Adult Diploma Program.
It allows students who are over 22, if they do not have a GED or high school diploma, to be eligible to apply for one of the approved programs, and if they can meet basic academic skill criteria and earn their credential, at the end of the program, they will have a high school diploma at no charge.
“The legislature put this in place and I think it’s one of the greatest things done in a while,” Reeves said.
MCCC was approved by the state to begin offering the Adult Diploma Program in August. Reeves said she is excited to eventually graduate students with industry credentials in a variety of fields.
“Typically, who we get are people looking to make big changes and I think that takes an awful lot of courage and a special kind of person to even walk through our door,” Reeves said. “If they can come here, we want to put our arms around them and keep them here.”
Personal enrichment
For those looking to take on a new, leisurely hobby or interest – maybe you’re recently retired and now have the time to give it a shot – MCCC offers a wide range of personal enrichment courses.
“They’re the kind of classes that people who don’t necessarily use our other services partake in,” Reeves said. “I think we’ve got some pretty nice things to offer.”
American Sign Language, clothing construction, creative writing, staging your house for sale, refinishing furniture, stained glass, Bible and religion studies and yoga are just some of the niche offerings.
The programming includes even some of the most interestingly-obscure subjects like canine massage therapy, college 101 for parents and Bob Ross’ “Joy of Painting,” which channels the oil painting methods of the late famous TV personality.
“How can we best serve the adults in our community? What can we do?” Kurth asked. “We’re being really progressive.”
The Medina County Career Center is located at 1101 W. Liberty St. in Medina. More information can be found at MCJVS.edu or by emailing info@mcjvs.edu or by calling 330-725-8461.
