ROSSFORD, Ohio — Trade and vocational schools are reporting an increase in Generation Z students.
Due to this, the Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA) has been hosting trade camps aimed at teaching high school students more about the sheet metal industry, called the Heavy Metal Summer Experience.
This is the national camp's first time in Ohio at JATC Toledo in Rossford. The two-week camp is host to juniors, seniors and some graduates of Whitmer and Rogers high schools as well as PENTA Career Academy. The 15 students are tasked with learning all the ins and outs of heavy machinery, blueprints and more.
The camp, said PENTA senior Billy Graffius, is giving him exactly what he needs.
"I like being hands-on and all that and I don't really want to go to school for four years, get a paper that says I did something, while I'd rather be working making money," Graffius said. "Not being in debt."
He said that going into his senior year and studying welding, attending camps like Heavy Metal helps to secure his future after graduation.
Molly Rorbig traveled from Cleveland to help teach the class in Rossford. She said she's proud of these students looking into trade careers now.
She herself switched careers after already earning a college degree and working as a social worker for 11 years. Rorbig argued a college degree and student debt aren't the only ways to start your career. It's why she teaches now.
"We want to empower them. We want to encourage them. We want to get them excited about the trade," Rorbig said. "The health benefits are good, retirement's good, the pay is good. You can raise a family on it. It's a wonderful career."
Looking across the workshop and classroom, Rorbig is the only female teacher and Briana Faulkner is the only female student. The pair are the lone women at this camp.
"I'm rooting for her. Yes, it's mostly male-dominated. But there are many, many women that are in the trades," Rorbig said. "I got in the trade when I was 34. It's exciting to see someone young get in the trade."
Different from Graffius, Faulkner already has her high school diploma from Rogers High School. So she said it's career decision time.
While looking around the room may have implied this was still more of a boys club, Faulkner was not phased.
"I come from a family where it's like all the men are electricians, carpenters. Mainly carpenters," Faulkner said. "I've been on a job site before with my grandpa. I feel comfortable in the position I'm in."
While she's not sure if the sheet metal industry is her route, more so than becoming an electrician, she said that having this skill in her pocket is best. Additionally, she wanted to make the most out of her summer by taking this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn for free and get trade school credit.
"I was like, it's something to do and I don't want to waste my time during the summer," Faulkner said. "I want to explore other things because I wasn't too sure about what I was going into."
All 15 students have been working on their own sheet metal toolboxes and will graduate from the camp on Friday. In addition to the toolbox, each student will walk away with some trade school credits.
For more information on the Heavy Metal Summer Experience, click here.
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