a 2. a wy Se. 1gorate a “Sy Y i “ . Wye Ss 4 2 Teaching Recession-Resistant Job Skills (NAPSA)—Developing recession-proof job skills—vocational abilities that tend to be in demand, regardless of the economic climate—could be an important key to financial security. In addition to serving as the basis for lifelong career paths, vocational skills can help replace a job from a less-stable field that’s been lost. Plus, the skills can be used to supplement an income or help pay for college. Experts say safe trades generally considered recession-resistant include: Automotive repair Cosmetology Health care skills. Learning such skills has become a top priority for many young people, with one school even requiring its students to complete a vocational-training and a military-training program, in addition to an academic curriculum. Mooseheart Child City & School in Hlinois—which serves children and teens in need— works to provide each graduate with a variety of options for career and economic self-sufficiency. Offering a range of choices to satisfy diverse interests, it has vocational programs focused on trades such as automotive mechanics, cosmetology and hairstyling, and health occupations. In addition, students in grades 9 through 12 are members of the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) unit. Nearly 90 percent of all the school’s graduates go on to a twoor four-year college, and all who oT | Sil Completing a vocational curriculum while in high school provides students with skills that can help payfor college. are academically qualified receive money to do so. Additionally, a number of the school’s students use their vocational expertise to support themselves during their college years. For instance, one former student uses her vocation in cosmetology to help pay for her college expenses. The student was awarded a $36,000 academic scholarship from Moose International, a fra- ternal organization of nearly 1.5 million men and women that supports the school. In addition, her vocational training has enabled her to find work in her chosen field while going to school. Many students pursue careers in their vocational expertise, while others enlist in the military, often at a higher level of pay and rank because of their NJROTC training. For more information, visit www.mooseheart.org.
