Tracy says state funding for education needs to recognize importance of vocations

QUINCY — Illinois State Sen. Jil Tracy visited the Quincy Area Vocational Technical Center Monday morning. The QAVTC provides trade classes for area high school students to learn. The tour included stops in the preschool, auto body shop and other classrooms.

The tour began with Tracy hearing from the construction teacher Dave Bellis. The students are working on a house that will be sold at the end of the school year. 

“I have always been an advocate for vocational education,” Tracy said. “The vocations had a really real place in our workforce and a need of our industry and a part of what’s required in everyday living. We need vocational trades.” 

Tracy stopped by the preschool to observe students working in an actual school environment. Students come out of the class with a level one early childhood credential and can start working in a daycare.  

Tracy said the demand for daycare workers has grown, “It is a real workforce issue,” she said. 

The next stop was the culinary arts classroom. Students learn home and restaurant style cooking in class and are prepared for jobs in the restaurant business. The students work in a fully functioning kitchen.

“This is filling a significant niche in the workforce, and they can get jobs in highschool,” Tracy said. 

The students are prepared for restaurant jobs and home cooking at the end of their classwork. Director of Vocational Evelyn Harrison told Tracy that COVID-19 changed things for her students. 

“One thing COVID did was put a focus on career and technical education,” Harrison said. 

She said students are fortunate to have a high school connected to a career center. They can learn engineering, welding and graphic design.

“Trying to find a field that appeals to a student early on is great. Likewise, some of these skills means they’re ready for the workforce after they get out of high school,” Tracy said.

Tracy said these types of programs expose children to what is out there besides a traditional college education. 

The QAVTC has the only Mac computer lab in the district. Students learn graphic design skills and design T-shirts. They also work on children’s books for preschoolers.  

“We are very proud of what our students do, and our teachers are all experts in their field,” Harrison said. “They have a wealth of experience.” 

Jason Ruff, an autotech teacher, said students learn to fix cars and work in a diesel shop on trucks. He said one of his students was offered a full-time job out of high school to work at a body shop. 

“We want to continue to develop and grow and meet the needs of the community,” Ruff said. 

“We are set up for the future,” Quincy High School junior Dalton Tournear said. “You learn more hands-on than in the classroom.” 

Other classes offered are agriculture, marketing, welding, CNA, EMT and computer science. 

“Highlighting what is out there for students is so important so they don’t go adrift,” Tracy said. “This kind of training really works better in our society. It fills all the gaps. We need to recognize in our funding for education how important the vocations play a part in what our society needs.”