How Lexington School District 2 is tackling the stigma of trade schools with Innovation Center

LEXINGTON, S.C. – The Lexington School District 2 Innovation Center offers interested students the opportunity to study and learn in a field they would consider working in after high school. The center teaches anything from the culinary arts, automotive technology, cosmetology, firefighting to health sciences. In many of these programs, students can walk away with a certification or license saving them not only time, but money. Each of the classrooms allows students to be taught by industry professionals and then practice the skills they learn in a hands-on environment.

Changing Mindsets

Bernie Adkins, the assistant director at the innovation center, told HERE NEWS students approach classes they are interested in with a different mindset. “It’s definitely a different experience being able to teach students what they want to learn,” he said. “They want to be here and they pick to be here and we’ve actually had experience with those that have signed up for the next level of those classes, and it makes it pretty enjoyable.”

Addressing Cost and Time

Adkins said some certifications and licenses are expensive and can take years to finish. One example of this is cosmetology. Going to school to become a South Carolina licensed cosmetologist takes several hundred hours and thousands of dollars. At the Innovation Center, students can work those hours and not pay a dime. “There was a negative connotation about trade school, and skills, and those kinds of things, but I think people are starting to understand that not everyone was meant to go to college right out of high school,” Adkins said. “Some people want to go to work, some people want to go into the military, and what we offer here is a way to do that and earn a great living, then you’re ready to right after you graduate.”

Tackling Worker Shortages

South Carolina has one of the most severe worker shortages in the U.S. – according to the chamber of commerce. One local business owner Dennis O’Toole of Easy Electrical Solutions said he’s seeing this shortage in his own field when trying to find interested electricians. Some small business owners in the Midlands said one field where the shortage is felt the most is trades. He said if students can get exposure in high school in the fields they want to pursue it could impact the growing decline of trade workers nationally, but the South Carolina labor market as well.”We are steadily growing, and trying to grow, but we are having a hard time finding employees,” O’Toole said. “Too many young people are not getting into the trades like they used to, and it’s probably because they just don’t know about it, and we need more education in schools to put in front of them, to show them the opportunities that they can grow,” he added.

Success Stories

The innovation has been around since 2018, but is constantly adding new programs to meet the demands of the workforce. Adkins said one student completed all of his training in the firefighting department and will be walking across the stage with a career already secured. He said there are several success stories just like this one.

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