Butler Tech welcomes school year with new buildings, programs

Butler Tech – a career and technical school with campuses throughout Butler County – began its school year earlier this month with a new building, new programs and more on the horizon. 

The Advanced Manufacturing Hub, which opened in Hamilton in January, is entering its first full school year. It will hold the information technology and engineering programs, both of which allow students to work toward credentials in manufacturing, welding, robotics and programming. 

At the D. Russel Lee campus in Fairfield Township, the new Electrical Technology and Power Systems program will give students hands-on experience constructing, repairing and maintaining electrical systems, while preparing them for careers as “highly skilled electricians and power system specialists,” according to the Butler Tech website. 

Students in this program can also earn the National Center for Construction Education and Research Core and Level One Electrical certification and the OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety certification, which demonstrate an understanding of basic worksite safety and entry-level skills. 

The program was created due to workforce demand and was received positively by students, said AJ Huff, the public relations coordinator for Butler Tech. The course filled up within weeks of enrollment opening, meaning there was “a very high demand, not only on the workforce side, but that students were interested,” Huff said. 

“What we’ve continually heard from the workforce is that … electricians are in high demand,” Huff said. “We’ve heard that for several years, and we moved on that pretty quickly, and we were able to bring in a brand-new two-year pathway for that.” 

In West Chester, a new wing of the Bioscience Center was opened in April of this year, allowing for increased adult education programming for the licensed practical nursing (LPN) and LPN to registered nurse bridge programs. Up to four cohorts will be able to begin these programs every year, instead of the two cohorts that have been previously offered, Huff said.

Also at the Bioscience Center, a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program will be available this year for Butler Tech seniors in partnership with Miami University’s regional campuses. Through this program, students will take college credit plus (CCP) nursing classes, earn their certified nursing assistant credential and complete the first year of their BSN program while still in high school. 

The Aviation Center in Middletown recently received a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) part 147 certification, which the FAA describes as a certification for schools to “train students in the knowledge and skills required for careers in the aviation maintenance industry.” Huff said the certification allows the school to offer education that ensures students are “even more ready to go directly into the workforce.”

The hangar at the Aviation Center will soon be expanded, which will allow for adult education in aviation maintenance, Huff said. The project will be funded by the State of Ohio Community Fund and a JobsOhio Spec Development Grant, totaling more than $2 million, according to the Journal-News. 

The expansion of Butler Tech’s programs and buildings reflects industry demand.

“All of the investments that we’re making are all about working with our local employers and listening to the … southwest region and what the workforce needs,” Huff said. 

Between classes taught on its campuses and in other high schools, Butler Tech reaches more than 41,000 students, with more than half being adults, Huff said. With all its students, Butler Tech strives answer one question, Huff said, “‘How can we help you gain the education you need now in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible?”