School helps students consider workforce, college options

Each spring, about 500 Vestavia Hills High School seniors make a decision about their life after graduation, choosing whether to pursue higher education or enter the workforce or military.

While a majority of VHHS seniors choose a four-year university, the school has resources in place to help those preparing to enter the workforce, as well.

Brandon Boggs, a counselor at VHHS, works with both current juniors and sophomores and said while 95 percent of graduating seniors go to either a four-year or two-year school, there is an increase in the number of students seeking to enter the workforce upon graduating from the school.

“Because we’re so college-prep focused, I think sometimes students think that’s the direction that they have to go,” Boggs said. “... There are many options. Really, what we want, is when you graduate in May of your senior year, is for you to have a plan.”

High schools have been told in recent years of a shortage in blue-collar workers and have partnered with other high schools to offer students job training classes through the Academy of Craft Training, which allows students to learn skills such as HVAC repair, welding, masonry and other trades. About a dozen VHHS students participate in the program and spend what amounts to about two periods in class learning their desired skill, Boggs said.

There’s no one defining answer as to why more students seem to be leaning toward both entering the workforce/military or two-year schools, Boggs said. It’s no secret that the cost of college is rising, and more students are realizing they can be successful by entering the workforce after high school, he said.

Vestavia’s career tech department helps students realize if certain careers or jobs require them to go and earn a college degree, so they don’t waste time and money chasing a degree they may not need, Boggs said.

For students who do enter the workforce right out of high school, it can be challenging, not just to perform at a high level, but to quickly acclimate to adult life. 

While the craft program helps students learn to be a professional, the school also offers classes that include the required “Career Prep A” and “Career Prep B,” as well as financial classes that help students learn to navigate the “real world,” Boggs said.

“Those real-life things are a real challenge for young adults,” Boggs said.

Vestavia has also grown its number of elective courses offered, including architecture and sports medicine, as well as future plans to offer nursing classes and sports marketing, in order to help students prepare for whatever career they choose, Boggs said.

“A lot of our teachers have varied experiences that really can plug in and fit well with those options,” Boggs said.

Students are also now required to take the ACT WorkKeys test, which helps show work readiness and is used by hospitals and other institutions to help make hiring decisions.

For students who do choose to go to college, school counselors like Boggs and college counselor Oliver Aaron meet with them to help apply for admission and scholarships. They’ll also take time to help students choose which high school courses fit into their career goals.

Conversations between counselors, students and their families help students make the right decision based on career goals, cost and location, Boggs said, and the school pushes students to visit campuses to see what life is like. Recently, the school took a bus tour to Troy, South Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

The most popular schools for VHHS, not surprisingly, are in-state schools, including Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Birmingham-Southern, Samford and Montevallo.

As the cost of college increases, students are encouraged to take advantage of community-based scholarships outside of the official university scholarships, Boggs said.

Whatever students decide, Boggs said the school helps them select the right path, as both college and the workforce provide pathways to success.

“We want our graduates to be successful, plugged in and giving back to their community,” Boggs said.