Alabama is divided into seven Workforce Development regions and Opelika is located in the Central AlabamaWorks region. Our region stretches from Lee, Chambers, and Russell Counties west to Perry and Dallas Counties. The Alabama Department of Labor-Workforce Development keeps track of employment trends throughout Alabama and we use this information to make sure that the Career and Technical Education programs we are offering Opelika students provide them with the opportunity to leave high school with experience and certifications that will increase their chances of gaining employment or advancing their education.
One program that OHS offers is Health Sciences. Looking at the top 40 "High Demand Occupations 2014-2024" report from Central AlabamaWorks, 25% of them are in the field of Health Sciences. The Central AlabamaWorks Region also reports that 12.32% of the jobs in the region are related to Health Care and Social Assistance, making it the second largest industry in the region behind manufacturing. According to the Local Area Plan developed by Central AlabamaWorks, "There are more specialized jobs in health care than in the past, due to rising cost and demand for health care." (p. 5). The report goes on to state that, "Continuing care retirement and assistant living facilities have also doubled in employment. As the population ages, so does the workforce in the healthcare industry." (p. 5).
Okay, that might not have been that exciting.
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| 2017-2018 CNA students. |
But what is exciting, is that Opelika High School is preparing students to take advantage of this growth through the Health Sciences program. Students can graduate Opelika High as a Certified Pharmacy Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified Patient Care Technician, or with their Emergency Medical Technician Basic Certification. The best news is that students who complete these certifications while in high school have the majority of the costs associated with test prep and test cost paid for through Career and Technical Education funds. This means a student can graduate high school with the training and experience to gain full-time employment in a growing industry or pursue a post-secondary degree. With a certification, a student who chooses to pursue their post-secondary degree has the option of working in a higher paying job and gaining work experience while earning that degree.
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| 2016-2017 CNA students. |
An example of this occurred this year. A CNA student who graduated in 2017 from Opelika High School became a Certified Nursing Assistant. The student was immediately employed by a local facility with a starting hourly wage of $14.10. While this is great, it is just the beginning for this student. This student now has the opportunity to gain work experience that could possibly open other doors for them to advance their career further.
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| First OHS student to receive certification as a CNA. |
It excites me to know that Opelika City Schools is providing these types of opportunities to students not only in Health Sciences, but in all of our Career and Technical Education programs. If you want to keep up-to-date on what is happening with with Career and Technical Education at Opelika High School, follow us on Facebook, "Opelika High School Career Tech".
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| A visit from the Life Saver helicopter crew is always exciting. |
