A group of six Poughkeepsie High School sophomores circled Dutchess BOCES instructor Richard Petschko and a toolbox in a bustling room filled with the sounds of power tools and BOCES students working.

Tool by tool, Petschko and two BOCES students sifted through the toolbox as the students looked on.

“Don’t be nervous. When you first come here, you’re not going to know how to use a lot of tools,” Petschko told them. “We’re going to teach you how to use power tools, how to use drills, how to use every tool. Every tool has a function and we’re going to go over that and teach you that.”

That’s the idea behind Dutchess BOCES’ Career and Technical Institute, or CTI, a resource that can provide eligible students across the county with targeted training in specific job fields, generally while they attend their final two years of high school.

As a part of the district expanding graduation pathways, a group of more than 30 Poughkeepsie students took a tour of the CTI facility on BOCES’ campus last Wednesday to learn about the nearly 20 different programs offered, ranging from nursing to construction. Among the most popular programs were nursing, cosmetology and the trade fields, like electric. The Poughkeepsie City School District has made college, career and military readiness a focus, and CTI is one of several opportunities that assist in that goal. Sixty-two Poughkeepsie students are in CTI programs this year.

Many of the programs produce graduates who have already earned the necessary certifications to enter the job field directly out of high school.

Petschko explained his electric students earn their OSHA 10 certification, which is the basic safety course necessary to be employed in the trades. “You’re going to walk out of here with certifications that will make you highly desirable, marketable and almost guaranteed to get a job,” he said.

The tour began with a group session in which BOCES program leaders explained the various aspects of the CTI program, including field trips, guest speakers, the National Technical Honor Society and the work-based learning program, which features internships in a student’s senior year and employment after completing the program.

“We want to give a clear understanding of what BOCES is and that it’s a solid option for their future,” said CTI school counselor Kirstin Litwin. “It can really help them be prepared for the next phase of life.”

Leadership also made clear to students, the program is a privilege reserved for students who are focused and committed to completing their courses successfully. Interested students must apply for the program through their high school counselors, and there are limited spaces, making the process competitive. A proven record for attendance is a major plus for applicants, the students were told.

Each visiting Poughkeepsie student visited at least two different program classrooms. They were led on the tours by CTI student ambassadors, who provided insight on what it is like to be a student in the program.

A handful of students checked out the culinary program, one of the more hands-on choices for visitors. Chef Gabriel Ross puts the students to work immediately creating food; Hakeem Walker made pierogis in a live kitchen surrounded by program students cooking other dishes.

Walker said he plans on applying for the program, though the visit was an eye-opening experience. “Cooking is easy, but it’s a lot,” he said. He hopes to become a chef, and said he enjoys cooking “chicken, bacon, cakes and cupcakes.”

Ross said it’s important visitors get a taste of what the program would be like. Each attendee ends up leaving with small bags of food they created on the spot.

“I can talk at them, but they’re not going to remember what I say. My goal is to give them a chance to work,” he said. “We will cook and they’ll have a chance to taste it. And they’ll be able to casually interact with the other students.”

Seven Green-Tissiera visited with the plant and animal sciences program and computer hardware technology.

“I like animals a lot. I own a decent amount of pets. And I like science,” he said. He noticed many programs feature more classic book learning during the first year of the programs and “more active experiments” in the second year. “This girl was doing an experiment to see which probiotic was more effective.”

As the group of prospective electrical trades students toured the facilities, the student ambassadors stopped to show them how to bend pipes. Then, they let the students have a try, showing them how to use the special tool needed.

Justin Guerra said he had never thought about what delicate a process bending metal pipe could be. He said he’s gravitating toward the electric field and liked hearing on the tour how electricians are in demand.

Of the tour, he said, “it teaches you all about the other options you have in life other than college. I wanted to see what else I could do that wasn’t by the books. I want to be hands-on.”