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Work-Based Learning Aids TCTC Students and Employers
Rachel Gensburg, program and guidance supervisor, and Nathan Berry, career development coordinator, spearhead the work-based learning program at TCTC.
BY JEREMY LYDIC [LINK] As employers struggle to find enough people to fill job openings, collaborative programs between businesses and educational institutions help strengthen the talent pipeline. One such program is the work-based learning program at Trumbull Career and Technical Center (TCTC). In the three years that VEC Inc. in Girard has engaged students through the program, the electrical contractor has hired a few graduates to its estimating and design departments and directed a few others to the electrician apprenticeship FALL 2021
program at IBEW Local 573 in Warren. VEC trains students in safety and some in-house work such as fabrication and basic electrical skills, said Dave Jakovina, service department manager and manpower superintendent. Students also learn soft skills such as filling out reports and keeping track of their time. “Everything that they need as their base to develop skills as a tradesman,” Jakovina said. “We try to give them a well-rounded training program.” Work-based learning gives students experience in their trade while they’re still in school, said Nathan Berry, TCTC career development coordinator. Given
