Louisville Magazine

JUL 2013

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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Before McCormick heads back to work, he buys a cigarette from a coworker for his last few minutes of break time. "It's not a dream job," he says. "But it's a goal for me to have a good paying job. Not a minimum-wage job." He's grown to appreciate his new skill. Te walls he tears down make way for stronger ones. Tose he builds secure people. Some days, if he's near downtown, he'll ride past a house on Hancock Street that he worked on. Just a glimpse and pride swells. McCormick's not sure he'll stick with construction. But there's money in it if he does. With some more schooling and experience, he could ascend to construction supervisor, a job that boasts a $50,000 salary. When asked what would encourage more young folks into skilled trades, he pauses for a moment. A lot of kids don't listen to adults, he fgures. "Probably take people like me," he says. D In 2008, former superintendent Sheldon Berman introduced careerthemed high schools as a way to improve graduation rates. Te idea being, hook kids foundering to see a purpose in school. Fifteen high schools now ofer students a variety of majors they're encouraged to choose from and complete at least three classes in. Te career themes include engineering, manufacturing, health, hospitality and tourism. Business management and administration have proven the most popular, with close to 10,000 high school students enrolled. Manufacturing and construction have about 400 students enrolled in each. Brian Shumate helped construct the career-theme pathways, as he calls them, because students can, if they stick with it, earn industry certifcations upon graduation. Tat can lead to a job right out of high school. "We know that kids, if they're in a pathway that's of interest to them … have a better shot of graduating on time," Shumate says. "Teir attendance is better. Everything is better." Students who successfully complete three courses in their career or technical classes, have a 98 percent graduation rate according to the Kentucky Department of Education. But Keith Look, principal at the Academy at Shawnee, says our system's priorities ultimately align more with the classroom than career. If a student tests poorly, that student will likely get yanked from career and tech time. "Because these schools are of an academic, college-prep nature," he says, "the 'good with his hands' kid, if they're behind in reading or math, we have a limited amount of time to get that student's skills up. So where do we take you out of? Well, we don't take you out of reading and math." 64 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.13 ressed in a camoufage T-shirt and jeans, J.D. Chesser's thin arms clutch a steering wheel the size of a large pizza. His leg forms a right angle as he steps on the gas of the Kenworth semi that grunts to a start, air hissing into its brakes. "You ready?" asks Ed Stephens, an instructor with Truck America Training, clipboard on lap in the passenger seat. "Yup," Chesser replies. Te truck bounces of the 17-acre gravel lot, the empty white trailer boasting Truck America's slogan in red lettering: "Run with the Big Dogs." American and bald eagle fags wave farewell in the late May breeze. As he slowly rolls through Shepherdsville toward the highway, a horse farm glides by on the right. Tirteen gears lie in wait under his grip. He knows this complex H-pattern clutch by heart, but still struggles in the low gears, those slow, lazy speeds. He grinds a few, then a few more, a noise similar to silverware in a blender. Te words STUDENT DRIVER plaster the front bumper. Tis is only his second day in the driver's seat. At 21 years old, Chesser is one of Truck America's youngest students in months. He comes as a legacy. His dad delivered fuel to the school for more than a decade. His uncle is also a driver. "I don't think young people these days really want to get up in a truck," Chesser says. "Just seems like they want to go into computer design and all that." Chesser has been "turning wrenches" (fxing trucks) for years. But he's been making about $12 an hour, or about $25,000 a year. He fgures if he can put in at least 50 hours per week, covering about 2,000 miles, he'll make upwards of $40,000 as a trucker. Underneath crisp early morning sunshine, Chesser pulls onto Interstate 65. He swivels his head left, right, left, right, constantly checking both side mirrors. Eighteen-wheeled trailers so easily sway, like dancer's hips back and forth, into other lanes. A can of Coke digested, his Apollo Oil baseball hat tipped back, a pack of Marlboros lodged in a storage bin, he's more comfortable than most newcomers at guiding the 80,000-pound Kenworth through the interstate trafc. "Smooth as silk, brother," Mike Schrader roots from the back of the cab. Te 59-year-old in a USA T-shirt and glasses with fipped up sun lenses, is also a student at Truck America. Recently, the former realtor, found himself in need of work. He represents Truck America's more typical student these days: about 40 to 60 years old and looking for a second career. "What I am training right now are people who've been displaced, out of factories and are trying to fnd an income that is close to what they were making before … with a small amount of training and not two years associate's degree or whatever," says Debbie Carter, who started Truck America Training 13 years ago. A decade ago, Carter, a tall, tan, blonde with a gold cross at her neck and sandaled feet, had plenty of students in their 20s and early 30s. She also had up to 40 students enrolled per week. Now, she's lucky to get half that every few weeks. Cost may be a factor. Te three-week training costs $4,600. If a

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