Dayton Christian School held its first Signing Day on Wednesday for graduates entering jobs in a trade with local companies.
A Signing Day is traditionally held for high school athletes committing to play sports in college, but DC Industrial Arts Instructor Gary Recker believes the path his students have chosen is just as important in our current economic climate.
“The demand for quality applicants is high and employers are looking for students who are eager to learn,” Recker said. “We’re finding manufacturers who are willing to provide anything from college reimbursement to full on-the-job training.”
Three DC seniors signed on for full-time employment with local companies on Wednesday. Logan Rohrer and Ethan Orme will work for Cassady Woodworks. Wesley Taylor committed to work for the Zengel Group.
In the past few years, Recker has helped foster a love for the trades with DC students who enter his Industrial Arts program and has seen several commit to the trades after graduation. In years past, students have pursued careers in woodworking, plumbing, and even in custom building with a local company that creates Hollywood sets.
Recker came to DC in 2017 after retiring from his own successful custom cabinet company. At that time, the school only offered one home maintenance class. Recker had a vision to see it grow and he’s realized his dream in less than five years.
DC is now one of the only private schools in Ohio that offers a five-tier Industrial Arts program. The program begins in the ninth grade and starts with basic hand tools and woodworking knowledge and advances all the way through commercial cabinet construction, CNC operation, manufacturing systems and procedures, and career development.
Recker took the program to a new level during the 2021-2022 school year as he forged relationships with the Dayton Regional Manufacturers Association (DRMA) and the Dayton Area Homebuilders Association as well as partnerships with other builders in the area. These partnerships have taught Recker how to evaluate students’ gifts with employers’ needs to find matches for future employment.
