Henrico CTE Now (Career & Technical Education)

In this episode, we are talking to Daniel Singleton- ACE Center Program Manager and Lead Instructor in Fire Science/ Career Firefighter and Paramedic, Henrico Co. Division of Fire, Nathan Jones, Firefighting 1, ACE Hermitage, Landon Parent, Firefighting 1, ACE Hermitage. Like many counties across the country, Henrico County is looking to hire young people to join their special group of individuals who put their lives on the line every day. Firefighting is a noble profession, and today's discussion will give you the information you need if you are interested in joining this group of superheroes!

We talk to Senior Master Sgt. Walt Davis, Air Force Reserve, and Captain Tom Holder, Marine Corps JROTC, Highland Springs HS, will discuss how JROTC works and the many life and career benefits our JROTC students receive, and eliminate many myths about JROTC.

We had scheduled a student to be with Heather Veneziano, but they had to cancel at the last minute. We still had a great talk about the Horticulture/Landscaping program at the ACE Center at Virginia Randolph and the huge demand for workers in many fields connected to our program.

Today we speak with Lisa Gyamfi, Instructor, Henrico County- St. Mary’s Hospital School of Practical Nursing, Angela Wise, Class of ’25, Henrico County - St. Mary’s Hospital School of Practical Nursing, Jordan Baxter, Class of ’25, Henrico County - St. Mary’s Hospital School of Practical Nursing and the dire need to attract more young people to fill the huge demand for nurses and all medical personnel in today's world.

The construction trades are suffering from a huge shortage of skilled tradesmen in the U.S. Many companies are exploring how they can attract more young people, men, and women, to the construction trades to deal with the increasing workload in their industry. Learn about the varied career paths in the industry and why they are great careers to follow. We talked with former ACE Center carpentry student, and in college to become an architect, Skye Allen, and Michael Higgins, and Charlie Mahaffey with Kokosing Construction.

Arianna, a student in the Pharmacy Tech program at the ACE Center, and her instructor, Jamaal Willis, discuss career opportunities in the retail pharmacy field. Many students, including Arianna, are already working and have promising futures ahead.

In this episode, we talk with Jake Duffee, General Manager at the Caliber Collision in Glen Allen. Caliber is listed in the country's top 20 body shop companies and has many locations all over the Richmond area. Jake talks to us about the industry and how they set the standard when it comes to hiring and training their employees. Careers in the auto body industry have changed so much in the past 20 years for the better and this is a great interview to listen to if you are considering a career in the industry.

In this episode, we were at the Career Mega Sale where students and adults were able to meet with area businesses who are highly motivated to hire for many different positions with their companies. Hundreds showed up looking to fill available positions. We spoke with Jeremy Davis with Miller Electric, Michelle Crittenden with Bon Secours Health System, and Janese Owens with the Virginia State Police about their experience and what they hoped to accomplish.

With career opportunities plentiful in construction, the Richmond chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is paving the way for more women to enter the industry in a variety of roles. In this episode, Kristi Smith, Jessica Behmke, and Kelly Schips share their stories of entering the construction field and what our community can do to encourage more girls to do the same.