Higher education key to job prosperity
High school diploma not enough in ever-changing job climate
COSHOCTON -- Jim Richesson, a 53-year-old River View High School graduate, has worked in factories and warehouses.
He's worked as a power washer, too, among many other jobs.
Unfortunately, Richesson found it difficult to find work, which is why in 2012 he will graduate with an associate degree in alternative energy technology from Zane State College."I'm hoping to get gainful employment in this field," Richesson said. "There weren't any jobs. You have to have an education, a field of trade, something people are hiring into."
His ability to find a job after he graduates with an associate degree will determine if he continues on to earn a bachelor's.
"I would like to stay around here," he said. "I would do just about any job."
His mentality about how far a person should go with an education and the job market isn't uncommon.
American Community Survey data shows that while more than 35 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds in Ohio from 2006 to 2008 completed an associate's degree or higher, less than 41.9 percent did overall.
Local guidance counselors and college administrators agree that anymore, a high school diploma just isn't enough.
At Central Ohio Technical College, enrollment in classes that might be related to entrepreneurship, such as accounting, fill up rapidly."The classes that have to do with the nuts and bolts of running your own business fill up quickly in Coshocton, and at all the campuses," said Ray Irwin, administrative dean for academic affairs at COTC.
Programs are changed as needed, Irwin said, to keep up with education needs.
The Knox and Coshocton campuses have seen a spike in students enrolling in nursing programs. To accommodate those students, the Coshocton campus developed a program with its own nursing laboratory.
Deborah Kapp-Salupo, superintendent at the Coshocton County Career Center, said the green push also will affect the natural resources program at the Career Center, as environmental jobs increase at an above average rate for the next five to 10 years.
Health career students will be able to find jobs in the area, but it might mean a short drive, depending on their career choice, she said.
She studies the trend statistics with caution.
"What trends and employment opportunities that are growing nationwide may not be the same for Ohio and most importantly, our own community or county," she said. "It's my thinking that we need to always consider our own demographics when analyzing the employment situation."
Based on a 2010 survey, about 52 percent of students would like to stay in Coshocton, or return after college or serving in the military.
Kapp-Salupo said she was surprised by the results, given local employment trends. Students are trained for jobs that do exist, but many of them are out of this area.
John Ellis, a guidance counselor at River View High School, said that 10 years ago, there were opportunities for students to go right out of high school and get jobs.
"Now even in Coshocton County alone, you need at least an associate's degree for an entry level job," Ellis said.
Coshocton Tribune Reporter Kathie Dickerson contributed to this report.
leemoore@coshoctontribune.com; (740) 450-6758
