RICHMOND, Va. -- Educators at the Richmond Technical Center (RTC) are working to get kids into the workforce and help Central Virginia thrive by training skilled workers.
With all the fanfare accorded to college athletes, the school held its first-ever signing day for high school seniors signing on for careers in dozens of desperately needed trades like nursing, mechanics and plumbing.
“I’m looking forward to going through Colonial Webb and gaining a lot of knowledge, so I can become a great HVAC technician,” student Te’Shawn Turnage said.
While he has not graduated just yet, the 18-year-old has his next move locked down with Colonial Webb, a Richmond-based mechanical engineering company.
The company was just one of the dozens of employers recruiting the next generation of leaders from RTC.
“Getting into the trades, people aren’t doing that as much anymore so we’re trying to grow who we want on our team,” Colonial Webb Talent Acquisition Specialist Logan Sullivan said.
Principal Jonathan Mitchum said the staff at the school is there to support students’ goals, whether they want to attend a university or get a CDL license and drive big rigs.
“Totally in deep, top demand,” Mitchum said. “She will get a job and she won’t have a college loan.”
This year marked the first ceremony to honor the commitments made by young people entering the workforce.
Despite this being the first ceremony, RTC vows there will be many more.
“The world is broad so there are so many different careers. Not all of them will sit behind a desk. These kids are hands-on and they really want experiences that will bring them to those kinds of jobs,” Mitchum said.
RTC serves more than just high school-aged students and also offers opportunities for adult education in a dozen different fields.
If you are interested in that or your company wants to partner with RTC, you can reach out here.
