By Wayne Gates
News Democrat Editor
The adult education programs for Grant Career Center and Southern Hills Career and Technical Center have merged.
The new entity is called the Brown and Clermont Adult Career Campuses.
By working together, the two programs are able to offer more expensive and extensive classes like Paramedic and CDL, along with law enforcement, medical, welding, EMT and other adult vocational training.
Representatives of the Brown and Clermont County chambers of commerce attended the merger announcement, along with State Board of Education Member Nick Owens. Representatives of Senator Rob Portman and Congressman Brad Wenstrup and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose also attended.
Clermont Chamber of Commerce President Joy Lytle began the event by discussing what would be a common theme from other speakers throughout the event.
“Workforce development will continue to be a big driver for growth in our communities and to help us prosper. We are very grateful to see this merger take place and supporting transportation, healthcare, public safety and manufacturing,” Lytle said.
Her comments were echoed by Brown County Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Harden.
“We are thrilled to have our Clermont and Brown adult career campuses join together. It’s another example of the model of partnership and collaboration that goes on between the two counties,” she said.
Next to speak was Clermont County Commissioner David Painter. He told those gathered that “Businesses looking to open in our area usually have two questions for us…what kind of trained workforce is available here and what kind training can you help us with? This merger fills that void.”
Painter and fellow commissioner Claire Corcoran then presented certificates of recognition to both schools.
Next up was Alex Scharfetter from the office of Congressman Brad Wenstrup.
“On Congressman Wenstrup’s behalf, I want to commend you for forming this partnership and providing these educational opportunities,” he said.
Following the presentation of a congressional certificate of recognition, Scharfetter read the following statement from Ohio Lieutenant Governor John Husted.
“Now more than ever, it is vitally important for adult education providers to work together, and in partnership with businesses, to help train Ohio’s workforce. The merging of these two facilities offers an innovative approach to addressing our workforce needs in this region, and will provide a better opportunity to serve Ohioans looking to upskill. Amid the many challenges businesses are facing right now, filling open positions with the right employees remains a top concern, and today’s announcement shows that local training providers are being responsive to the needs of their community and the state’s changing economy.”
Sophie Foley of Ohio Senator Rob Portmans office presented the schools with a flag that flew over capital building and read the following message from Senator Portman.
“I congratulate everyone on this milestone merger. The merger between these two strong programs will be a tremendous asset to the region. The Brown and Clermont career campuses is living up to the mission of preparing adults of all ages for successful employment in an ever changing workforce.”
Featured speaker Nick Owens from the Ohio State Board of Education addressed the gathering next.
“I don’t think that many people recognize the magnitude of this and how rare it is for educational systems to merge. This has been a multi-year process, but it’s really going to create opportunities,” Owens said.
“Why should our citizens have to drive an hour or more, battling traffic to have educational opportunity? There are always barriers to education, but they are greatly diminished when you can tell an individual that you can get a life-changing education close to home.”
The three individuals in charge of the new merged adult programs are Director Vicki Carrington, SHCTC Superintendent Kevin Kratzer and Grant Superintendent Mike Parry.
All were happy to speak about the merger after two years of working to make it happen.
Kratzer began by acknowledging the efforts of Mt. Orab Mayor Bruce Lunsford to establish the building that houses the adult program at the corner of Eastwood Road and State Highway 32.
“We are not here today without the Mayor of Mt. Orab, Bruce Lunsford. We wanted to be in a location where everyone could see what we are doing and that would not have happened without Bruce,” Kratzer said.
Regarding being able to see the merger announcement finally happen, Kratzer said “It’s rewarding. We have been working on this for over two years. This was a nice time for me to be able to reflect on the contributions of all the people that helped us get here.”
He added that he expects the merger to make a difference in the community.
“The potential impact is huge. As more and more students take advantage of our classes, that will only grow the skilled workforce in both counties.”
He also talked about the cost savings of the move.
“The efficiency that this merger brings to taxpayer dollars is gigantic. Instead of having classes of seven and six, we are having classes of thirteen and we have one director instead of two. Those dollars that we save can be put back into the programs and expand the opportunities,” Kratzer said.
Adult Education Director Vicki Carrington is taking the reins for both programs now.
“It’s been a big undertaking, but I want to thank Kevin and Mike, their respective boards and their staffs for having the forethought to see what could eventually be,” Carrington said. “Moving forward, I want to concentrate on expanding and finding out what is needed in the community and how we can meet that need with our graduates.”
Parry was also pleased at finally being able to unveil the merger to the public.
“I’m extremely excited. It made imminent sense to me the first time we discussed it. Now that I see all these people here, it validates what we thought was a good idea and tells us we are headed in the right direction,” he said.
”This is a unique innovation because we both had well functioning adult programs and we saw an opportunity to make them better by working together. Hopefully we will be able to have true impact on the communities we serve.”
Parry added that the benefits of the merger are already apparent.
“The new economic development director in Clermont County has already asked us to sit down with him and talk about how we can impact the workforce. Those connections are vital for success and now that we have a united campus we will be in a better position to mobilize for those opportunities,” he said.
Carrington also said that the potential impact of the merger may continue to be felt in the state.
“The Ohio Department of Education is watching us to see how it works and we have already had other career centers calling us and wanting to talk to us about how to do the same thing,” she said.
Anyone interested in the programs offered by the Brown and Clermont Adult Career Campuses can call 937-378-6131 for more information.