ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Officials with the Orangeburg Technical Center are trying to shine a spotlight on their programs.
The district's coordinator, Dr. Kelvin Lemon, says it's another option for those who don't want to go to a four-year institution.
"We're a college town, but there are some students here that are not going to a four-year college," said Dr. Lemon
For more than 40 years, the school has focused on industries in high demand in the county, like automotive, engineering, and construction skills.
"We also need industry and information technology," said Dr. Lemon. "All of those jobs are high wages jobs that are in high demand in this area."
"Most companies want their employees to have more experience and be as young as possible," explained O.W. High School Student Ni'je Huggins. "As you get older, it gets harder to do things. So, they look at the younger generation to retain them."
Huggins is a junior at O.W. High School who wants to be an architect. She says the pandemic has changed the way they learned how to get jobs done.
"The way you may do the job may change, but I should be able to adapt," explained Huggins. "There might be more technical things, like do some work on the computer to prevent spreading the virus."
"For example, an auto mechanics instructor would have goggles that could connect to their computer," said Huggins. "When the instructor looks down in the car to change the oil, the students can see what the instructor sees from their home."
For prospective students and parents, there is a showcase next month. You can find the information district's website.