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Show ''.,.! ' ' J : " j f - ? ' J' J ! V-U Kv i ' - v i : : ' V -M f ; PROGRAM A WINNER By TOM Kl SSKI.IiKKG ( I I.ARI II I.I) Vocational Voca-tional education plays a major role in the program at the Clearfield Job Corps. MOKK THAN one-third of those attending the facility are currently enrolled in a wide spectrum of classes from auto mechanics to welding with carpentry, car-pentry, plumbing and a host of other courses inbetween. Vocational program director, direc-tor, Robert J. liingham, says his staff works to place a corps member in a job preparation sequence best suited to that member's needs. CORPSMKN ARK given a chance to see w hat job possibilities possibi-lities are available before being locked into a set program, he says, through the Occupational Occupation-al Exploration Program. That includes completing a workbook that describes each vocation, finding out how long training takes for each vocation, voca-tion, visiting training sites and finally meeting with a vocational voca-tional counselor to choose a trade and receive educational assignment. ' MOST STIDY academic subjects a half day to complete their high school graduation requirements and spend the other half learning a trade, Mr. Hmgham says. Length of stay is up to two years and before leaving the center, corpsmen can take advantage of a placement program, he notes. "Their job is to place these youngsters. We try to get them trained in occupations that are in demand. de-mand. "WE I.IKE to have them go back to their home and say, "Look at what I've done to me.' " Mr. Bingham says, adding there is only a four percent per-cent dropout rate. He proudly points to the success story of a Vietnamese student w ho has landed ajob in Texas earning $8.25 an hour in a carpentry shop. VOCATIONAL training encompasses en-compasses classroom instruction, instruc-tion, on-hands training in the shop areas and experience in projects around the center. For instance, those1 learning small engine repair maintain that area for on-center vehicle repair, he says. Painting, grounds maintenance mainte-nance and other projects around the facility are completed com-pleted by corps members w ith a large number of the instructors instruc-tors certified and all "very experienced" ex-perienced" in their various fields, the program director says. THREE STUDENTS involved in-volved in different programs and from across the country enthusiastically endorsed the program in recent interv iews. Richard Abbott, from Newport New-port Beach. Calif., has been in-volved in-volved in the automotive program prog-ram for nearly a year. He's working to change hats from pumping gas to a mechanic able to perform most auto repairs. re-pairs. HE WAS prodded to check into the Job Corps program by his mother and says he hasn't regretted it. "From what I've seen with my own eyes I didn't know I couid accomplish that much (in 11 months.). "I'm really glad I've taken this trade. I didn't think anyone any-one had the ability to teach (like his instructors have). You really have to be negative not to enjoy it. Before. I couldn't even do a minor tuneup. Now I can do just about everything." HE ALSO works as a corps-man corps-man driver and may study the Three Clearfield Job Corpsmen have a lot of positive comments to offer about their experiences in the vocational training program offered at the center. Richard Abbott, left, Mike Scarbrough and Lunda I'ayne all come from different backgrounds but are finding fin-ding success in their fields of study and looking forward to interesting jobs in the future. diesel sequence. "Every day is more interesting. My parents think it's fantastic. Life is going right back up again. I hey (parents) thought I'd failed." Mike Scarbrough of Granite City, III., about KM) miles from Chicago, just completed the cooking sequence and was named corpsman of the month. NOTING A lifelong interest in cooking, he says Job Corps training has enabled him to refine re-fine those skills and learn additional addi-tional facets of the trade. He plans to obtain bakery training and then attend a Treasure Island, Is-land, a sort of "graduate program" prog-ram" in California where he will be able to cook on a ere ship, a lifelong dream. And after that initial training stint, he hopes to get a permanent perma-nent job on a crew ship. Speaking Speak-ing of the staffhe says, "1 think they're very capable and I think the cooks are doing a great job." LISTING NOT only job-related job-related benefits to attendance at the Job Corps is Lundra Payne of Booklyn, N.Y., who says Utah is "a lot different from home." "It's good to learn about other ways and get used to rules and regulations (peculiar to the area)," she says, relating relat-ing that her interest in the program prog-ram was whetted by a cousin on center who used to call her daily. "IT SOUNDED all right. I intended to stay home but everybody ev-erybody fought there," she says, adding that she likes it on center, having been there about ab-out five months. Engaged in the office trades sequence, she expects to have her shorthand training up to par- to seek a job within a month. She has worked with typing, filing, office procedures proce-dures and some financially-related financially-related areas in the program. "I HAD started a trade at home but with 40 or more kids in a class and only one teacher (it was hard). Here, she'll (teacher) will take you by yourself and work with you until un-til you're ready." Her instructor instruc-tor is Arlene Hanson. "I will start high school (completion) in September and should graduate in February," Miss Payne says, looking optimistically opti-mistically to landing a job when she gets home. "I MEET people from all over the world here, some from places I had never even thought about. I like it." |