Signing Day for High School Grads entering Skilled Trades

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Richmond, VA - For High school graduates, April means looking forward to what comes next, which for many, means college. In April of last year, a ceremony was held in Henrico County Virginia, to celebrate students who selected careers as skilled tradesmen, over college. The county held it's first-ever "Career and Technical Letter of Intent Signing Day,” to celebrate those students and their imminent employment in the trades.

Instead of signing a letter of intent that’s usually geared towards highly sought after student athletes, and high-academic performing students, some graduating seniors signed declarations to prospective contractors, and industrial employers, that resemble an offer letter.

"Henrico Schools’ Career and Technical Education program decided that athletes weren’t the only ones who deserved to have their hard work recognized as they look to the future," the county explained in a post on its public Facebook page."Students and representatives of their future employers both signed letters-of-intent outlining what students must do before and during employment, what the employer will provide in pay and training, and an estimate of the position’s value."

For their first signing day, Henrico County recognized 12 seniors as they signed letters of intent to work as machinists or apprentices with local and national companies such as Rolls-Royce in their aeronautical division, paving and construction firm Branscome Incorporated, Tolley Electric Corporation, and Howell's Heating & Air.

According to Mac Beaton, director of Henrico County Public Schools' Certified and Technical Education program, "We're always trying to figure out how to address the skills gap when the general mentality of parents is, I want my child to go to college; One way to do this is to help them see the value of career and technical education," he said.

Tyler Campbell, 18, a senior at the Highland Springs Advanced Career Education Center, signed a letter of intent to begin working for Branscome Inc., a contractor specializing in infrastructure, and commercial/residential development, following his graduation in June. "Seeing how many people showed up for the signing day, I could tell it was a big deal. I got really excited," said Campbell, whose mom and sister were both in attendance. "This is basically my dream job. To get it feels so good."

In the past, students from impoverished communities, or working class neighborhoods were often pushed to go to college to achieve better employment and upward social mobility. Over the last few decades, an increase in college tuition costs has made student loan debt a reality for many of those students from modest income homes. Now, millions of college graduates face severe debt and job wages that are not sustainable in a post-2008 recession economy.