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Owens, Jill of All Trades Show Potential of Skilled Trades to Local High School Students

Owens Community College hosted more than 80 students from 10 area high schools on Thursday for a day of fun and learning about skilled trades at the second annual Jill of All Trades.

“We’re excited to provide this chance for young people to explore a future in the skilled trades,” Owens president Dr. Dione D. Somerville said. “With the help of Jill of All Trades, we believe its our mission to expose young people to potential careers and all of the things they could do with a future in the skilled trades.”

Jill of All Trades was started in 2014 in Canada, providing hands-on experiences to young people in grades 9-12 and introducing them to the possibilities of a career in skilled trades. Owens is the only institution in the United States to host the event.

Students were split into 12 groups, with each participating in three different workshops. Held at the Dana Center, Welding Design Center and Transportation Technology buildings on the Toledo-area campus, workshop topics included robotics, welding, CNC/machining, auto service and repair, crane rigging and diesel technology.

The goal of the program was to address the skilled trades workforce needs of the future, an issue Owens is at the forefront of with its wide variety of programs, certificates and associates degrees.

“High school students and their parents have this idea that you need to spend a lot of money and go to a four-year college, but that’s just not true,” Owens director of Admissions Erin Kramer said. “We have programs, certificates and two-year programs at Owens that can help young people achieve their dreams and goals for their futures.”

Students began and ended their day at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, where program sponsors were set up with information about working in the trades.

Sponsors of the event were presenting sponsor Buckeye Broadband, Owens Corning, Magna, Enbridge, Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Ohio, Hancock Steel, First Solar, The Andersons, First Energy, Advanced Technology Consultants, Dunbar, Rudolph Libbe Group, Taylor Automotive Family, HIAB, Air Force One, Principle Business Enterprises, Barnes, University of Findlay, A-Gas and Integrated Systems Technologies.

To learn more about the Owens School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, please visit owens.edu/stem.

To see more from Thursday’s event, go to owens.edu/jillofalltrades.