Program promotes students getting great jobs in trades.
According to SkillsUSA Florida, employers in the state can’t find applicants with the necessary skills to fill available jobs. To make matters worse, this skills gap is widening because students are trying other sorts of education and employment instead of going into skilled technical fields, also known as trades. To address this problem and help students find good hands-on careers, Plant City High School (PCHS) has a program to help students explore technical careers. PCHS offers courses in electrical construction wiring, automotive, and agricultural mechanics.
Fernando Guillen started the electrical program at PCHS in 2016. “I’ve been blessed since I started the program in 2016,” the teacher said. “I’ve had students that are eager to learn the electrical field. They want to participate in SkillsUSA.” Guillen teaches nearly 200 students a year in his classes.
“It really opens your eyes to opportunities that are out there,” recent PCHS graduate Ivan Ibarra said. “It opens a different door, the trades types of jobs. It isn’t an open book type of class, it is a hands-on class. So you really do get experience in real life, how it’s going to be. The teacher is really great and he showed us the real-life look of it.”
SkillsUSA Region 4 held competitions at its February conference. Vying against other students from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties, Jared Hill took second in Electrical Construction Wiring. Ibarra got fourth. Gabriel Boxtha-Hernandez came in fifth. Hill and Ibarra qualified to compete at the SkillsUSA Florida State Leadership and Skills Conference in Jacksonville in May. Ibarra upped his game and captured first at the event, while Hill got third.
Miguel Hernandez Garcia also represented PCHS at the state conference in the Industrial Motor Control competition. Garcia is the first PCHS student from the PCHS electrical program to compete in this event, and he won first place.
Ibarra and Garcia moved on to represent Hillsborough County Schools and the State of Florida at the National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, GA, at the end of June. This event conducted 114 competitions in different technical skills and leadership. More than 6,500 students from across the United States contended in these events. Garcia placed 18th, and Ibarra placed 28th in their events.
“Nationals was a really huge event,” Ibarra commented. “It was a great experience. You got to see a lot of new things, and learn a lot of new things. It was special to be there competing and representing the State of Florida. Especially being from Plant City because it’s not a big city. So, coming from a little town, it is amazing to compete at a national level. When you compete, they just throw stuff at you. You don’t know what to expect. That skill set really does help you on the job site because you don’t know what they are going to throw at you. The competition at SkillsUSA is all about perfection and safety. So, we really do focus on our craft and perfecting things and doing everything the right way.”
“Ivan, Miguel, and Jared are all amazing,” Guillen said. “They were all seniors. To see them go compete at the national competition was awesome. I like their dedication. I know all three men will have great careers wherever they choose to go. I am going to miss them. They have been great. Jared Hill has been with me since his freshman year. It is great seeing him grow and become passionate about the electrical field. I’m really proud of Jared. I’m really proud of Miguel. He was eager. He really wanted to compete in SkillsUSA.”
All three young men are currently working in paid, four-year, electrical apprenticeships with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 915.
“Plant City Champions for Youth is proud to have assisted the Plant City team with their expenses for the Nationals in Atlanta, and it is great to see our local youth representing Plant City so well,” Jack Holland, Plant City Champions for Youth board member, commented. Plant City Champions for Youth is a non-profit organization that is hyper-focused on helping the youth of the Plant City area. For more information about Champions for Youth, go to http://www.pcchampionsforyouth.org, or contact President Jeff Arnold at pcchampionsforyouth@outlook.com.
