More adults retraining at Career Technology Center

To meet the higher demand, career center has added classrooms and labs.

Jim Witmer/Students get training in the medical assistants program in a new classroom at the new Adult Education/Administration building at the Miami Valley Career Technology Center.

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By Doug Page, Staff Writer Updated 11:24 PM Tuesday, October 6, 2009

CLAYTON — Two years ago, the Miami Valley Career Technology Center moved its administrative offices to a temporary site in the Englewood Industrial Park. The administrative space became classrooms, labs and work areas for high school students from Montgomery, Darke, Preble and Miami counties.

More and more, those facilities are being used by adults in the evening. Last year, there were eight adults in the heavy equipment operating program. This year there are 26.

“We needed to rent more equipment to satisfy the class demand,” said Ben VanWye, adult education director.

He said the school is attracting more former GM and Delphi workers. “There’s been a steady flow of them the past few years, but never this large,” he said.

Deana Myers — a student in the licensed practical nurse program housed in school’s new $6.5 million administrative and adult education center in Clayton across Hoke Road from the main campus — is at the CTC because her husband lost his GM job. Besides going to school “part-time,” Myers is the mother of four and works nearly 40 hours a week.

After graduation, the family is moving to Tennessee where there is more demand for licensed practical nurses and more chance for her husband to land a job. The move is tough for her children in the Northmont school district.

“But I’ve told them, we can stay here and starve, or we can move to Tennessee and eat,” she said.

Like Myers, Malkia Johnson also is a mother holding down a nearly full-time job. Both have attended class three days a week, eight hours each day.

“This is my chance to move up,” said Johnson, who is expecting her third child later this year.

“I’ve been working as a nurse’s aide. But an LPN can make $18 to $23 an hour.”

She said she plans to stay in the Dayton area.

The cost of the two-year course is $10,000. Myers is paying for it with help of a loan. Johnson’s tuition was funded through Montgomery County Jobs and Family Services.

“It will pay off,” Johnson said as Myers nodded in agreement.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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