Brandon Meanor was working as a carpenter before graduating from high school — and bought a house not long after.

He was able to do that with the training and experience he gained as a student at Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center in New Kensington.

He didn’t want to go to college; he didn’t want to be in debt.

“I had not clue what I wanted to do after high school. I had no clue at all,” said Meanor, 20, who graduated from Kiski Area in 2018 and lives in Plumville, Indiana County. “I started doing research on what carpenters made, and I decided to go study carpentry.”

Students and parents interested in learning more about courses and programs at the Career & Technology Center can do so during an annual open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7.

It’s located next to Valley High School on Stevenson Boulevard (Route 366).

Current students will have projects on display for parents and the community to see, said Jill Awes, the school’s business-industry liaison. Representatives of companies and colleges will attend.

The school serves more than 400 students in ninth through 12th grade from the Kiski Area, Burrell, New Kensington-Arnold and Franklin-Regional school districts. More than half, about 240, are from Kiski Area, Awes said.

Kiski Area students attend for a full day every other day, while other students attend for a half day in the morning or afternoon.

Students in eighth and ninth grades interested in enrolling for the 2020-21 school year are invited to learn about the school’s dozen programs — auto collision repair, auto mechanics, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, construction trades, health occupations, heating and air conditioning, machine tool, multimedia, computer networking and welding.

Welding is the school’s most popular program, followed by carpentry and automotive, Awes said.

Students can participate in a cooperative education program where, instead of being at the vo-tech, they work for a company and get paid along with learning. Participating students are usually 16 and older, and generally seniors who are 17 or 18, Awes said.

“We’ve got kids in the welding program that are making $19 or $20 an hour in high school,” she said. “It’s work experience we can’t give them. These kids are making good money.”

That’s what Meanor, who started at the school as a sophomore, did during his senior year — working for a construction contractor.

“I learned a lot more than I could have learned at the vo-tech,” he said. “You’re actually working for someone. You’re getting hands-on experience, and you’re learning how it actually works.”

While Meanor didn’t go to college, some students do, Awes said.

“We’re training you in a trade, in a skill. Every program offers certification that makes them more marketable,” she said. “The kids are making tons of money for their age. They’re marketable, and the jobs are there — especially in welding and anything manufacturing.”

Meanor, now a union carpenter, encourages interested students to attend the open house and talk to the teachers.

“I would say just go and talk to them,” he said. “If it’s something they’re interested in, it’s worth pursuing.

”I made a life out of it — and I’m just starting.”

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