Officials with Locklin Tech, the public secondary and post secondary career and technical education institution in Santa RosaCounty, recently took the time to discuss what are the most popular “in demand career fields” available for training and certification.
“People know we do welding, they know we do automotive,” said Maria LaDouceur, Principal of Locklin Tech. “We are trying to get the word out about our ENI (Electrical and Instrumentation Technology) program. It’s basically programmable, logical control systems, so anything to do with computer-based instrumentation in an industrial factory.”
LaDouceur said the curriculum is brand new at Locklin Tech and is targeted career field across the state.
“The state does a lot of work on looking at targeted careers and forecasting for future careers, so we rely on that information,” she said.
Automotive repair and welding continue to be among the popular programs at Locklin. According to Kimi Gillis, the marketing director of Locklin Tech, the school brought in additional instructors in both fields in order to accommodate both high school and adults students for separate classes.
Other popular career interests include cyber security, massage therapy and pharmacy technician.
While there many jobs in demand, there are other career paths on the opposite end of the spectrum.
“Building construction and technology, our carpentry program, is something that we closed either last year or the year before,” LaDouceur said. “You hate to see those courses go because of the skills you have learned in those programs.
Several factors have led to the demise of the carpentry programs, not only at Locklin but in several other surrounding schools, according to LaDouceur. Some of those factors include lack of employer interests, lack of enrollment and the current status of the economy.
Locklin Tech also offers another option for young high school graduates, besides enrolling into a college or university.
“Some may have wanted to go to college and they just didn’t make it down that path for whatever reason,” LaDouceur said. “We are able to get them in and train them within about a year.”
However, going to a technical school does not exclude students from enrolling into college. One example is the licensed practical nurse program.
“Pharmacy tech is great example. We have had three or four students who took our pharmacy tech program even in high school,” LaDouceur said. “(They) became pharmacy technicians and a lot of them got jobs.”
While taking jobs either at a local hospital or with a local retailer, those students took prerequisites at a local university and entered a pharmacy school.
“They could make a good living while they are in college,” she said.
In addition to seeing a growing number of adults looking to enter a new career field, Gillis said the school also caters to many military veterans.
“We see a lot of veterans who have came out of the military and they can’t find a job in what they specialized in while in the military,” Gillis said.
Both Gillis and LaDouceur said many veterans have interest in becoming a LPN or working in the industrial or IT careers.
In total, the school, which is regulated by the Florida Department of Education and controlled by the Santa RosaCountySchool District, serves around 400 students, around 200 of them are adults, LaDouceur said.
There are scholarships available at Locklin including grants and other funding options. For more information on Locklin Tech, visit locklintech.com or call 983-5700. Locklin Tech is located at 5330 Berryhill Road in Milton.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Locklin Tech officials discuss job trends