Matt Sharp, a senior at Los Gatos High School, is one of many students enrolled in this class made available through the Central County Occupational Center in San Jose. Classes at the center are open to students in the Los Gatos­Saratoga Joint Union High School District free of charge, and the center provides training in more than 32 occupational choices. It prepares students for professions ranging from automotive technology to network administration. And even in this still-job-deprived valley, there is a lack of trained personnel in these fields, giving the students an economic incentive to take the center's classes.

"This is a great place where kids can discover, 'Is this a job I can do?' " says CCOC Vice Principal Donna Henderson. "It's a valuable learning experience."

Some kids are expanding on interests they already have. Sharp, for example, has always had an interest in cars. Indeed, he's got eight at his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he works on them. His parents are remarkably supportive of this interest, and his mother has never objected to what could be construed as a used-car lot.

"She probably doesn't care for it, but she's never said anything," he says.

Not everyone has the aptitude for this kind of work; his brother, who is pursuing an engineering degree at University of California, Santa Barbara, just throws up his hands when any work needs to be done on his car and asks Matt for help.

The class works on trucks from small trucks to big-rig diesels and learns everything from engine tuneup and repair to brake adjustment. Students proceed at their own pace but must meet expectations along the way. In addition, they are tested after each job, and they are dropped from the class if they slack off and are not progressing.

Sharp just finished a job, working on diagnosing a flaw in a vehicle's electrical system. "It can be frustrating, because the flaw was simple, but it had a complicated effect."

The automotive classes aren't just restricted to guys. Rachel Olmstead, a junior from Los Gatos, is enrolled in the auto body/auto paint class. She chose the class because she wanted to do something active, rather than sitting in a classroom. Her class was busy learning the fine art of removing a dent from a fender, leaving no trace behind.

The school is particularly proud of the $100,000 paint booth used in the class. "This was the original idea for a centralized class, buying equipment that just one school couldn't afford," says the vice principal.

Initially, Olmstead's mother was reluctant to have her daughter join the center; it took an interview with the high school guidance counselor to convince her that this was a good opportunity. Unfortunately, some other parents aren't quite as open-minded, and some even forbid their children to attend classes, says Olmstead.

Virtually all the youths interviewed were planning on attending a junior college and then going on to get a college degree.

Parents get fixated on the UC path, but the educational system was actually designed for students to first attend a junior college and then transfer to a 4-year college, a path that actually increases a student's odds for getting into the 4-year college, says Henderson.

Still, there's also a path for those not wishing to attend college.

"It's a big myth foisted on students in high school that a person's not successful unless they go to college," says Henderson.

The members of the CCOC's staff stress the need for more choices and support for students, an issue they face when dealing with the high schools. "We have an uphill battle because of the image problem," says Henderson.

Part of their frustration stems from having some high schools send only students from special education classes to the center. They are not complaining about the students—they welcome those students, and the students actually do very well—but they would also like other students to be encouraged to participate as well.

Many industries have changed over the years and demand more sophisticated skills. Automotive repair, for example, is highly dependent on computers and requires diagnostic ability rather than actual repairing, explains the tuneup and electrical-systems teacher Dave Walters. He says the United States has a shortage of 35,000 technically trained people at this time. The Bay Area in particular has a high demand for these trained personnel, especially for those with critical thinking skills, good reading comprehension and reasonable mathematics ability.

Internships are available in many auto dealerships, and these aren't low-paying jobs. The average journeyman makes approximately $70,000.

Sean Coleman, a senior at Saratoga High School, was attracted to the CCOC by the multimedia class. Through the class he's learned to use software such as Adobe Premiere and Photoshop. He recently completed a music video as well as a television commercial by using his new skills.

He's even gotten a bit of the entrepreneurial bug and sells T-shirts he's designed to friends or by special order through word of mouth. He's also learning how to design collateral pieces for businesses such as business cards and advertising material. Everything he's learning now can be used in his career, which is something he really likes about the center.

He has found a niche at CCOC and the experience has been "life changing." He finds regular high school a difficult environment because it's designed for either very good or very poor students, but without a lot of help for those struggling to be average.

"It's good to be here," he says. "There's a lot of support." Since he is a visual learner, multimedia is a perfect fit and fills a creative bent.

One area with increasing demand for trained workers is health care. Jennifer Garcia, a senior at Los Gatos High School, is enrolled in the health occupations class and is preparing for an upcoming internship in the radiology department at Good Samaritan Hospital. The class prepares students for these internships by having them study anatomy, physiology and a wide range of other topics.

She appreciates the small class size—20, compared to the usual 30 in a standard high school—as well as the extra time students are given to do their work and really understand the subject matter.

The shortage in health-care workers is expected to continue and even worsen as the huge baby-boomer population ages and requires medical care.

This field in particular is perfect for those wishing to work while attending college. There is a lot of flexibility in hours and shifts, something Garcia plans to take advantage of while attending college next year.

For those looking for more hands-on work, there is construction technology. Saratoga High School junior Scott Francis is enrolled in the carpentry class.

The class was in the midst of building the frame for a project in the class's cavernous working area, after first constructing a model. Students learn all areas of residential construction from putting up drywall to roofing. As a bonus project, Francis is now working with another student on building a closet for an adjacent classroom.

Francis joined the class because he already knows his career path; he wants to be a general contractor, following in his father's footsteps. The two enjoy comparing notes as to what was taught in class.

He's looking forward to summer, when he works in the family business. Previously he did mundane tasks like cleanup work, but now he'll be able to do actual work and apply his training from the course.

He plans on attending San José City College, which has a good program in construction, he says.

Justin Babb, a senior at Los Gatos High School, is enrolled in the network administration course, in which students learn the ins and outs of computer networking. Babb just passed his I-NET+ certification, one of three tests given for professional certification. He's always worked with computers and sees the class as an extension of this interest as well as a chance to "get away and do something different."

As well as receiving high school credit, students can also receive college credits for local junior colleges. This class, for example, is good for six college units as long as students finish with at least a B.

Some students enroll in the program to supplement existing courses. Chris Bayruns, another Los Gatos senior involved in the networking class, wanted a more advanced class than the ones offered in high school. He only wishes he had known about the program last year.

These two students recently had an opportunity to test their knowledge by competing against other students from all over Northern California in the annual SkillsUSA VICA competition. Each boy received a gold medal—the highest honor—and will be going on to compete at the state level. The final winner at the national level receives a Cisco router. When asked what he would do with it, Bayruns thought about it a minute before replying.

"I'd probably sell it on eBay," he says.

For more information on the program, call 408.723.6400 or visit http://www.metroed.net.