 Good afternoon, everyone. This is the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. It is Tuesday, March 29th at 3.30. We have with us Patrick Leduc from VZAC, and he has some adult students who have graciously agreed to come and chat with us today. And we certainly appreciate your time, you taking the time to talk with us. We have a real interest in workforce and especially so this year with all the issues that are going on in the workforce, not just within Vermont, but within the country as well. And so I was not able to join the Zoom meeting that you had a couple of weeks ago, but we want to make sure that we asked some of you to come in and chat with us. And so welcome. And Patrick, if you would like to tee it all up, we'd be grateful. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. And thank you for having our students in. Obviously, at VZAC, we're very focused on trying to work on the systems across the state in every capacity to make it smoother for our students. And while we bring lots of experience and expertise, there's nothing like talking to the actual students directly to find out what their experience is like. So we've held two panels, as you know, one with high school seniors and one with adults that were either going back to school or going to school for the first time, a little bit later in life. Those two constituents are constituents that we feel very passionate about helping and supporting. And we had a conversation with this group of about 10 forming with us today around how did they make their career choices and how are they navigating education to get into those career choices. So I'll key it up with one question that is kind of similar to what we talked about in our panel and then we can just kind of see where the conversation goes. Chair Mark, I'll obviously take your lead on how you'd like to go. So the first question that I would pose to this group of four and then we can just see where it goes is, you know, what is your, you know, introduce yourself. Talk a little bit about what your career path is right now and how you made that choice and how the education is going for that for you right now. So any one of you can start. I'll go first. I'm Robert Bell from Lowe, Vermont. I just had my 33rd birthday on the 25th of this month. So I decided to go back to college last year at CCD. When I left my job at JP Morgan in South Burlington, Vermont. Because I decided like I needed a change switch in my career. And I also needed something I can do while I stay at home and help my disabled wife. So, going back to CCD online learning made a lot of sense to me. And especially I'm currently in the information technology associate's degree, which there's a lot of jobs out there that you can work from home as well. So again, it made a lot of sense for me to pursue this career. And that's, that's where I am today. I'll go next. I'm Amber lawyer, and I went for in the beginning phlebotomy and medical assisting. And it wasn't wasn't exactly the right fit at the time and I did get funding from BFA and my visa grants and I was so grateful for that because that was one of the highest sought out careers at the time. I then learned about massage school, and I also did that with some of a grant that I had, and that was amazing I now have a four year career in massage and right now I want to finish with an accounting bookkeeping certification so that I can do well in my business and know the ins and outs. I really feel it's going to bring a strong background and I hope I can provide for my family and these really really trying times now online. Well, I think we're really glad to hear that. The pandemic, you know, we provided, they provide a lot of money to help businesses. And one of the issues I think that came up for a lot of the small really small businesses was that they weren't using any accounting, didn't have any knowledge at all. And we're kind of doing things on the back of napkins and things like that, not not being able to use QuickBooks and not being able to provide the information that that the state needed to provide the grant so it's I'm really happy to hear that you're looking to get that financial knowledge. Sorry. And that's now one of the highest sought out careers and that's another reason I found that. Samantha Brutney, there you go Samantha. I'm Samantha Rivers. I'm a single mom of three. I always worked in the medical field that was an LNA for years. I actually got into that field because I had a grandfather that was diagnosed with Alzheimer's so kind of got into that to take care of him and then after I lost him. My heart just wasn't in it you know every patient I saw kind of remind me of him and so I was like okay I need a little different path as far as you know. So I had a number of different jobs and then I'm not one to sit still and be behind a desk so I wanted a job that was more hands on. So last year I took some CPT courses and got my certification as a certified production technician and safety quality and measurement, and I now am a quality control inspector for a company in the U.S. and I'm a consultant in Vermont called CAM Development. We make parts and components for firearms and explosives for the military. And I'm actually now furthering, I'm doing some schooling at Stafford Technical School in Rutland to get certified in welding. Welding's always been a passion of mine. It's kind of been a hobby and I'm hoping to one day have my own business. So when I want to retire from doing the quality and be my own boss, I don't think I'll ever fully retire. So that's kind of like hoping to have that be my career. Don't forget to take that accounting course too. Samantha, what kind of, when you're doing your quality work, what kind of software are you using to record all your information? So we write it down on, we have a, it's all paper, and then it gets scanned into our system. We have a lady that does that, all the paperwork and stuff. I'm just, they're just starting to show me, I actually just got a promotion. From the beginning of this month, I'm actually now the head inspector on a trial basis. I have 30 days, but I have to say I'm killing it. Congratulations. Thank you. That's awesome. Thank you. Great. Hi everybody, glad to be here. Hey Patrick and members of the State House. It's a privilege to be here. I wanted to give just a little bit of background. College was not an option for me in high school financially. It just wasn't within, within my family's financial means. So from after high school, you know, I was doing jobs that were not satisfying me and the work that I feel is my, my heart work, my soul work. You know, I was doing waitressing, which nothing against waitressing, but it, it just, it wasn't as meaningful to me is what I knew what I knew I had to share. So what ended up was I became a mother six years ago, and I decided that I wanted to fill out some financial aid to see if I was eligible to go to school. I wanted to show my daughter that education was important, and that if we wanted to do something that we loved in life, sometimes more times than not you need either a degree or a certification of some kind to do that so I filled out some financial aid with the sack and some of the fabulous financial advisors on the team and I was fully funded to be a full time student at the Community College of Vermont at the Upper Valley site. I'm a that for Vermont resident. So this was this was huge. This was huge. So a door had opened, and I took that opportunity. And I am going for my associates and behavioral science I'll be finishing up within a year's time. Mental health has always been something very important to me growing up in a family that suffered from alcoholism and addiction as well as mental illness. It's always something that has been important to me. So my long term goals are to finish my associates degree in behavioral science, and then I would like to pursue some educational background, and take those learnings into elementary school here in the state of Vermont, and work with our youth on mental illness, and the resources available to help help children cope in the, in the uncertain times that we're living in today. So that's where I'm at. And thank you for having me. So I think before we continue on, I think we should introduce ourselves to you. So you know what part of the state that we're all from. And so, as we do that we'll raise our hand so you can see us I know it's pretty hard on your side of the camera to see us. So I might mark out I'm from Coventry, and I chair the committee. I'm Charlie Kimmel, I'm from Woodstock, and I'm the Vice Chair. I'm Mike Nigro, and I'm from Benington. And I'm Emma Mulvaney Stanek, and I represent a portion of Burlington. John Kosenska from Burke. Wayne Rush from Franklin. Kirk White from Bethel. And Stephanie Jerome from Brandon. And Kira. I'm Kira, I live in Burlington, and the committee assistant. So we do have a couple of committee members that aren't with us right now, but that's the committee. And I'm just wondering. The, the, the aid packages that that you all apply to with VZAC, you know, during the pandemic, we, we provided some monies, especially in the state college systems for people to take courses. Without having, without having to pay for any of it, and also provided wraparound services. And I'm just wondering if, if any of you were able to access those funds. I'll go ahead. Is it all right to go ahead, Patrick. Okay. Yes, I was able to receive some of the funding during the pandemic. I was one who did get hit financially. And in the pandemic, I did lose my job. And in the midst of taking classes, I was working on and I was doing all my school work on an old, an old laptop of mine. And my daughter had accidentally jumped off the couch onto my computer on the floor and had shattered. And so it was completely not usable. So I ended up going back and forth from our local library and it was becoming a big time struggle. And so I was able to receive some funding, and I was able to get a brand new laptop that I am very much, very much grateful for, and that is how, if I didn't have that if I didn't have access to that money to get a new computer. I really do believe that my, my work definitely would have suffered my school work definitely would have suffered and I think there would have been a spiral. And who knows what would have happened so super grateful for that funding and the purchase of my new computer so thank you. We're just very happy that, you know, we were able to put that funding out and provide that, you know, the courses and provide the services around that to help people, you know, actually find their dreams and, and up skill and be able to get good paying jobs in the end. So it's it's all about making sure that Vermonters are taken care of. I was going to say something. Go ahead, Amber. Yeah, I was in the same boat, all hairdressers and massage therapist or to a halt. So I had an old laptop as well and I was using it and brought it down to Staples got it redone. It was still not loading. And I reached out to Mark and I was telling him how I was having a little bit of struggle as a wondering the schedule to go to be CCV to study and he's like, Amber, I got funding and I'm like, what do you mean. And he's like you can get up to $700 towards a computer I started crying. And so I went down immediately and I got the most affordable one. And I mean, if it weren't for that. I'd still be struggling. And it was, I mean it was a, it was so I've got to say it wasn't so easy but it was easy. You really just had to answer your questions and say that you were in a hardship, and it was almost unbelievable. Okay. For me, like, Amber and Bernie, I used a lot of that fun, a lot of those funds for a computer and monitor. So that I could take classes online from home. And some of the resources I used to go towards credit card debt. As the pandemic, I racked up quite a bit of credit card debt. So, like that money was a huge lifesaver. I'm very thankful for that. So, Robert, I'm wondering, you live in a low you said right low. Yeah, big city. So, I'm just wondering what kind of internet service do you have in Lowell to make it possible to work from home I mean what do you what do you got there. My wife and I have new England wireless communications data cell phone tower on my in-laws yard on Buck Hill. So it's New England wireless you said. Yeah, I think they're based on New Hampshire. Okay. But yeah, the internet's not that great up here. Sometimes I can't work or do homework because it's so windy, or the weather gets terrible with pretty often. It makes broadband that much more important. Yeah. Thank you. Samantha, were you able to access any of the monies from the advancement grants to help you, you know, go to go to Stafford for the welding programs or other programs that you're taking at the CTE. I didn't need any. They offered when I was doing my CPT because that was all online. I had a computer that I mean it's not the greatest but it works and you know I know how to use it. So that was a plus. I didn't I didn't need to but I was there if I needed it which was nice to know. You said you were taking a welding course at Stafford. Yes. And so how is your company paying for that course or. No, I got a visa grant for that. So you got so you went through the advancement grants and received a grant to take that course at the CTE. The CTP courses I got, I got a grant but it wasn't through VESAC. The welding course Samantha, was it through VESAC? That was yes. Yeah, so that would have been an advancement grant. Oh okay. And I'm saying CTE, so the Career Technical Education Center at Stafford. It's a little difficult sometimes to understand what we're saying with these masks on. And then there's the issue of your accent. That too, yeah. It's the Northeast Kingdom accent probably. Bobby has the same same issue. And probably John does too. I do not. Some of us don't have any accents. We're all good friends here by the way. Well, you know, we're so close to Canada. True. So what's your, the courses that you're in now, when do you see the, when you'll, your completion? I think Brittany, you said you've got another one more year until you're associates and then you're going to go on for some more certifications. But yeah, yeah, I have about another year left for, for the associates and behavioral science. And I want to continue. I want to continue. I'm enjoying it so much. My high school career was not, was not really focused on, on the, the classes I had better things on my agenda or so I thought. So having this opportunity now at 33 to, to go back to school, pursue a degree and something that means so much to me is giving me a type of hope and confidence and accountability and worthiness that I honestly have never had in my life. I never thought, I never thought this would be this experience would be so rewarding. And I never knew that I enjoyed learning so much. You know, so it's just, it's just a gift that is continuing continuing so um, yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to finish up this degree and start another one and see where it goes. It's great. Yeah, something nice that you don't, your, your path is not set when you're 18 and finished high school. Yes, right. Yes, yes, you know, I think to coming right out of high school, you know, just finishing being in school for your whole life. It's, it's a lot to swallow to think, you know, about throwing yourself right back into it again. So I think there's a lot to be said about these, you know, the adult men and women going back, you know, we've had some time to experience life and experience different occupations and, you know, I think at least for me personally every day I'm learning more and more about myself and my passions. And, you know, it's just having the opportunity, you know, having the opportunity is makes all the difference and that's something by living in the state of Vermont, that, that I have the privilege of doing is going back to school. So, again, just thank you so much. Yeah, I'm glad it's working out so well and what about the any of Bobby or Samantha or Amber, how much longer do you have for your to Canadian your studies. I currently have 12 credits now. I'm taking a one credit course this summer for an accelerated payroll accounting class I figured that was the best time to take a quick one credit class. And then I'll have three semesters or, yeah, about two, two and a half semesters left and I'll have my complete bookkeeping certification. And that way the grants are used. The non degree grants are used I'm getting my certain certification, getting all those credits built up and if I decide to go for my associates and accounting, I will do so at that time. But with a full time business and I'm being a mom and helping cope. Yeah, it's pretty overwhelming some days. Yeah. Wow. And Brittany what about you do you have more, how many more classes are you taking up Brittany I'm sorry. And Samantha. So, um, I have one more class for the welding. I was supposed to be done with it by the fourth of April but I kind of had a little bump in the road I had taken a really bad fall on the ice back in February and did. I kind of did some damage to my right shoulder and I'm right handed and I weld right handed. Um, and it's the last class that you have to like that class you're doing your test piece that you get rated on to get your certification. So, um, I decided that I was going to wait and I'm actually going to be doing that class come August. So I'm doing some physical therapy get my arm nice and strong so that when I do that test piece I know that it's the best that I can do. Good. And Bobby what about you what's how many more do you have courses do you need to take. Um, after this semester, which ends in May, I have 12 more classes. I'm going to be taking classes in the summer and the fall and do the graduate next spring. Great. It certainly is challenging to go and it's great to go back to school as an adult but you have so much more to juggle when you're an adult right like families and work and yeah. Yeah, it's a real it's a fine management skill that you're told you're learning now is it. Congratulations. It certainly takes a lot of motivation on on your parts as well. You know, either hold down a full time job, take care of a family, and then go back to school as well. So our hats are off to you for sure. Other questions committee. Bobby, I have a question for you is there a particular area of it that you're looking to move into once you finish your degree or you still trying to, you know, look at options. Okay, we're finished up. I'm looking after CCD. I'm looking to transfer to promote text computer software engineering degree. That area really interests me. I would either like to be like a full stack engineer which deals with both front end and back end programming languages. And I've reached out to beta technologies for a summer internship. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I only reached out to them the other day. Great that sounds great. Good luck with that. Yes. Thank you. And I guess happy birthday a couple of days ago. Thank you. More questions committee. Well, thank you for joining us today. It really validates what we hear what we hear from VZAC. What we hear from our state colleges, the needs of students, especially adult students that are in your situations that that you know you want to upgrade your skills, get better paying jobs. You still have families to take care of. You have life going on and you still have that motivation to to move forward. So we really appreciate all you're doing and glad you're here in Vermont glad you're staying here in Vermont to work. We need that we need workforce. And, you know, and all of the areas that all four of you are studying so keep up the good work. And keep making us proud. Thank you so much for having them. Thank you, Patrick. We really appreciate you setting this up for us. Again, it's, it's very helpful for us to to be able to chat with the students, both in that that are still in high school and the adult students that are that are out there. It's just, it just makes helps us with our jobs and it really is satisfying for us to know that that what we're what we're doing what we're hearing is actually be happening on the ground that that people are being helped. Thank you again. Thank you. Have a good day everyone. Thank you everyone. Thank you. Enjoy the spring weather. It ever gets.