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Superintendent and administrators highlight vocational program growth and 97% attendance
Summary
Administrators reported expansion across automotive, marine, diesel, IT, machine-tech and welding programs, growing co-op placements, certifications earned and a 97% overall attendance rate; industry partnerships and upcoming advisory meetings were announced.
Administrators at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School District Committee meeting on Jan. 20 reviewed program activity and student outcomes, reporting expanded opportunities across vocational shops and strong attendance.
An administrator presented program-by-program highlights: automotive students are servicing community teams and job-shadowing at local dealerships; cosmetology juniors and seniors are preparing for state board exams; collision-technology students are learning painting and panel work; diesel students are pursuing OSHA-10 certifications; information-technology students are working toward certification in CompTIA A+ and networking; and machine-technology students are producing parts on CNC lathes.
The marine-technology program completed field visits to the New Bedford FOSS Marine Terminal and exposed students to large wind-turbine blades; the district acknowledged donations and partnership support from the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association and Harbor Freight for program supplies.
Administrators reported strong coop engagement: 195 students currently working in the community with 46 in structured placement programs and 375 students granted work permits. The presenter reported a 97% overall attendance rate to date and said the attendance officer, Jen Guerrero, has used incentive drawings (gift cards) to recognize students with perfect attendance. In the record the presenter described collective student earnings in phrasing that was ambiguous in the transcript; the committee should be consulted for exact totals.
The packet also included weekly superintendent newsletters (Dec. 8, Dec. 15, Dec. 22, Jan. 5 and Jan. 12) and parent survey results across grade levels. The administration invited committee members to attend a winter general advisory meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4, where industry advisory chairs will report trends relevant to FY27 budgeting and program planning. The administration also provided written takeaways from attendees of the ACTE conference aligned to the district's strategic plan.
Committee members praised increased student interest in diesel technology and the active support teachers and advisers are providing for competitive programs such as SkillsUSA and BPA. The administrator concluded by thanking staff and advisers for their work connecting students to industry and postsecondary pathways.
Next steps identified in the meeting packet include continued outreach to advisory chairs and follow-up on parent-advisory input to inform FY27 budgeting decisions.
