ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There’s more than one way to a distinguished career — that’s the premise that Orange Technical College has promoted for over 90 years, with the opening of the Orange County Vocational School in 1933.
Now, they’re focused on building careers in high-demand fields like information technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.
For Jaden Lewis, being in front of the camera and making videos became his passion early in life.
“When I was young, I learned in my church how to film, so I just had that skill and I knew that you know, I needed a job,” Lewis said, who is an adult student at Orange Technical College East Campus.
He was in high school when he found out from a counselor about the option to enroll at Orange Technical College.
“Sophomore year, I was, you know, talking to my counselor, and on the last day of registration for OTC she told me about this campus, and I decided to sign up,” he said.
Orange Technical College is part of the Orange County Public Schools. They have seven local campuses across the county, including the Main Campus, Avalon Campus, East Campus, West Campus, South Campus, Apopka Campus, and Eatonville Campus, offering diverse career training in various fields for high schoolers and adults.
The East Campus recently moved to its new location at 11550 Lokanotosa Trail in Orlando, next to University High School.
“We are very excited. We moved into this building in August. It’s a brand-new building, cutting-edge technology,” Senior Director at Orange Technical College East Campus Jodie Rolston Cary said.
OTC offers more than 62 career certificate programs that allow students to receive their training in a year to be ready to enter the workforce. Lewis is enrolled in the Digital Video Technology program.
“I feel very excited because I think of this program as like a mini-job. I think that we are actually people working in a news station,” Lewis said.
He started as a dual-enrollment student, continued as an adult student and is about to graduate.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to focus on a specific skill set rather than having to take other courses that they may see as ancillary or not necessary,” Rolston Cary said.
Former news photographer Darran Caudle leads the class.
“I love it. I love it. You know, it’s a great opportunity to be here,” he said. “We have a brand-new campus here, so there are a lot of opportunities. But what I love most is the interaction with my students.”
Caudle brings 31 years of experience in the TV news industry into the classroom.
“The best part about teaching to me is when they master a skill. Once they master that skill and you see the joy on their face, that’s what it’s about for me,” Caudle said.
Another reason students decide to apply to Orange Technical College is affordability. The cost is $2.92 per credit hour, with most of the programs running between 600 and 1050 hours.
“Our goal is for students not to finish the program in debt. We want them to be debt free,” Rolston Cary said.
“And it works for me. A, because they’re flexible, like I said I’m doing two schools at once, Valencia and OTC. Number two, the prices are affordable. When I left dual enrollment, they gave me a waiver so I could come back and take this course, my remaining time for free,” Lewis said.
Rolston Cary said they are on a mission to let more students know about the opportunities they have at Orange Technical College.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics overall employment in computer and information technology and healthcare is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034.
With about 1.9 million openings projected each year for healthcare, and about 317,000 openings projected each year for information technology careers.
“Educating our school counselors so that they know this opportunity is right there available to students that may not want to invest in a two or four-year degree,” Rolston Cary said.
Jaden’s graduation is just around the corner next May — and he already has plans in place for what to do next.
“I want to take my business degree that I am currently working on and add it with this certification, and hopefully make something out of it in the future,” Lewis said.
If you want to learn more about the different programs and career certificates offered at Orange Technical College East Campus, you can visit their website for registration information.