By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 28 — The Page County Technical Center continues to expand its offerings to local students to meet the growing demands of technical training in the larger workforce landscape. Since adding Health Sciences in 2016, PCTC has also expanded its electrical classes and added welding instruction in recent years. Now, a recent donation will allow even further development of the new welding program.
“We were aware of the need,” said Bucky Thomas, a member of the PCTC Foundation and an employee with Kontoor.
The “need” was definitely noted as 28 students signed up for 15 slots available in the Welding I program, thus creating a waiting list. There are currently 14 students enrolled in Welding I and eight students in Welding II. The maximum is 15 per class.
A $25,000 donation from the Blue Bell Foundation presented on Friday will provide support in completing phase two of the Welding facility by adding a classroom space (with restroom) next to the Welding lab at the Tech Center.
“This will finish out Phase II of the classroom…This will give it a self-contained building,” PCTC Principal Leigh Ann Pettit said on Friday. “It’s now a ‘shop’…this will make it a full facility.”
Dr. Antonio Fox, superintendent of Page County Public Schools, noted during the April 28 presentation the difficulties with providing some technical training.
“Welding is one of our more expensive programs to expand because of the equipment,” Dr. Fox said.
The Tech Center has doubled its number of electrical students from 20 to 40, providing two classes. The Sterling, Va. location of nationwide Rosendien Electric has hired a dozen local students from the program in the last few years. In 2018, PCTC started the tradition of “signing days” for tech students as they accept employment contracts to put their technical skills to practice in the workplace.
PCTC Foundation President Richard Lawrence recalls 42 years ago when he was at the same point as many Tech Center students and was “fortunate to enter a four-year apprenticeship electrical program.” He knows first-hand the importance of such educational opportunities.
“We at the Page County Technical Center Foundation Board work with the Page County Public Schools, Page County Board of Supervisors and reach out to our community, local business to help provide technical education programs for our students,” Lawrence said. “We are very pleased and fortunate that Blue Bell Foundation has provided these funds for our students.”
The executive leadership of Blue Bell built a foundation 75 years ago with their own money to support community donations toward various projects. Today, following the sale of Blue Bell to VF Jeanswear, and their subsequent sale to the current corporate ownership of Kontoor, not many Blue Bell Foundations are left. The donation will be combined with grants to further the project at a total cost of $333,000.
Kathy Weaver, a human resources officer for Kontoor, applied for the $25,000 corporate grant. Mary Jane Hilliard, a member of the Blue Bell Foundation and employee for a half century — currently celebrating her 50th year with the company — was on hand to help present the check. Along with Dr. Fox and Principal Pettit, school board members Duane Painter (District 4 and member of PCTC Foundation) and Jackie Sullivan-Smoot (District 5) were on hand to help accept the generous donation.
This marks the second donation from the Blue Bell Foundation, with the first — in the same amount of $25,000 — coming in 2018 to build a storage building at the Tech Center, when the welding program was launched as an independent study at PCTC. Welding was previously taught through agricultural studies.
There are now a total of eight programs at PCTC with the hopes of growing those offerings in the future.
Learn more about the Page County Technical Center at
https://www.pagecounty.k12.va.us/o/pctc
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