BLOOMINGDALE — The Jefferson County Joint Vocational School is moving one step closer to becoming an Ohio Technical Center by expanding its adult education offerings, and prospective pupils can now gain credentials to work in the health care field.

JVS Adult Education Director/Grant Writer James Hilton said plans are to provide classes starting in August for state-tested nursing assistants and phlebotomy to build the workforce and help fulfill a great need within the community.

“We’ve had adult education courses for enrichment, but two programs are launching in August which are workforce credential-based,” Hilton said.

The STNA program will begin on Aug. 4 and tentatively runs to Oct. 30 with classes to be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the JVS. He noted that the date was tentative because it was based on the number of hours required for the classroom and clinicals. Meanwhile, the phlebotomy course is set to run Aug. 5-Oct. 30 with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Current JVS health technologies instructor Tammy Sismondo will serve as program coordinator while instructors were being sought for the courses. The courses cost $1,150 each for uniforms, lab consumables and certification fees and may be paid in full prior before the first session or in two installments prior to the first and second sessions.

Hilton said he researched potential courses in the area and found that health care topped the list.

“I’ve done a lot of checking with area adult ed leaders and this is a needed area. There is a need for qualified nurse’s aides in our nursing homes and a national needed for a phlebotomist. It’s a good start for us,” he said. “Our plan is to run this program and continue to research future programs. We may add some more in the spring and are looking at medical billing and coding, EKG and welding.”

He has gained interest from possible students and hopes to see the programs grow.

“It’s exciting and I am already getting great responses through social media and phone calls and people are in the process of applying and there are online forms available on our Jefferson Vocational School Adult Education Facebook page. We also have tuition agreement forms and a link to the adult ed handbook with detailed program information.”

Online forms are available but anyone seeking a paper copy can contact Hilton at the JVS, plus more information will be added to the JVS website. Meanwhile, the JVS is seeking to become an Ohio technical center and the first step is to receive accreditation.

“The goal is to begin our candidacy status with the Council on Occupational Education for accreditation. That is one part to becoming an OTC school,” Hilton continued. “We hope to get OCE candidacy in the spring, and once we are candidates for accreditation, we can apply for the OTC status.”

JVS board members have discussed expanding the school through programming and physical space and heard presentations from three architectural firms during recent meetings. Among the preliminary ideas are to expand the health care programs and possibly add X-ray technician and respiratory therapy while looking at other offerings. Leaders have discussed relocating several labs and said the OTC designation could provide training courses to prepare people for careers in a capacity beyond the vocational school concept, plus it fills a void left with the closure of Eastern Gateway Community College. Leaders obtained input from representatives of SHP of Latrobe, Pa., McKinley Architects and Engineering of Wheeling and Strollo Architects of Youngstown and will determine how best to proceed.

“We’re heading in a direction of becoming a premiere OTC building in the eastern region of Ohio,” Hilton concluded. “We need to fill in the gap.”

For information, contact Hilton at (740) 264-5545, extension 309, or e-mail james.hilton@jeffjvs.org.