Trade School at Pope John Site
To the Editor;
Education and training in the trades will help the next generation to rise out of poverty.
It is my understanding that the City Council is considering bringing a vocational school to Everett. This proposal would convert the old Pope John High School into a vocational school. High school graduates have very few options for gainful employment and a career. Even after getting low paying jobs in the service industry people still live below the poverty line, depending on the government for healthcare, food assistance and help with housing.
As a member of Pipefitters’ Local 537 Boston and a retired HVACR technician, I am a firm believer that many jobs now and in the future will be in the area of the Trades and IT and there is an immediate need of these skilled workers. With that said, working in the trades is no easy task however, with the high demand and good training, trades people will earn good wages and strong benefits and can change the trajectory of their lives. Working in the trades is an honorable profession and challenging intellectually and physically. When you see cranes in the sky, those office buildings and biotech companies will provide full time employment in the trades in the near future. With a new industry opening up for renewable energy, there will be opportunities in this market also.
We are in a situation that we need immediate low income housing. For this reason this will be a hard sell converting Pope John into a trade school. I think utilizing the school building to provide the next generation with training to have good reliable jobs is one step in the right direction. I’m a firm believer in education in empowering people to succeed and be contributing members of society.
Jean McAdam