By Betty Gandee

Technology is on the rise, and thousands of jobs are readily available if you possess the needed technological skills.

With a great push from Senators Joe Manchin and Shelly Moore-Capito, as well as Governor Jim Justice’s office and spearheaded by General James Hoyer and his team with the WV Army National Guard, training boot camps are popping up all over the state.  When given the opportunity, Trey Corwell, business and technology teacher at Clay County High School, felt it necessary to help bring these educational opportunities to Clay County.

Donald “Trey” Corwell III says that his goal is to give his students a solid foundation and understanding of the concepts, terms, and uses of the languages and software that are used in this industry.  He believes that this is an amazing opportunity to give the people of Clay a trade skill that could potentially replace the salaries that were lost when the coal mines were shut down. “This is a chance to bring economical growth to our area and give Clay an economic boost and the best part is the class is free!”

The Adult Coding Class recently came to an end, and the graduating class met in the Mined Minds office in the old Clendenin Middle School to learn about furthering their education, and work toward a career opportunity.  Josh Varney, a graduate of the class, was just accepted into an advanced class with Mined Minds and is on a fast track to completing his boot camp.  “This class gave me a great opportunity to develop a skill set that is in high demand and the ability to get into a career that has job security and a high earning potential. In my time in the class, Trey helped me get a grasp on the basics of coding and taught me how to think through problems to handle the more advanced issues. With the knowledge that Trey gave me, I was able to jump into an advanced training course with Mined Minds and felt like I was already ahead of the curve,” Varney said.

Trey says, “The initial class has truly been a blessing and I hope to offer another class in the fall.” If you or someone you know would be interested in more information on these classes you can reach Mr. Corwell at donald.corwell@k12.wv.us.

CUTLINE

Photo by Trey Corwell