ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- With the Class of 2012, both high school and college students, getting ready to graduate, most could find that in today’s economy, a diploma might not be enough.

According to an Associated Press article published in the Sunday, April 22 edition of the Pensacola News Journal, half of recent college graduates are either jobless or underemployed.

While there is a strong demand in the science, education and health fields, students graduating with degrees in the arts and humanities are finding it harder to find work in fields they were educated to do.

That leaves many college graduates forced to find work at low-paying jobs such as waiters, waitresses, bartenders, retail clerks or receptionists.

And while more of these young college graduates are found in the Mountain West region, the article states, not far behind are areas of the rural southeastern United States, including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

That might seem to be a grim reality for most, but Kendall Mowdy, principal at the South Baldwin Center for Technology, sees it as an opportunity. And it’s an opportunity that the programs at the Robertsdale school are fulfilling for a wide variety of students.

“Many students are graduating from college and can’t find employment,” Mowdy said, “because many employers today are looking not only at education, but also at experience and job training, training that we can provide.”

South Baldwin Center for Technology serves approximately 370 students from Robertsdale, Foley, Fairhope and Gulf Shores high schools. Its sister school, the North Baldwin Center for Technology in Bay Minette, serves students from Baldwin County, Daphne and Spanish Fort high schools.

The two schools offer the same basic curriculum opportunities with a few exceptions, Mowdy said.

“We offer drafting and architecture courses that they don’t, while North Baldwin offers heating and air conditioning classes that we don’t,” he said.

Both schools offer a variety of skills training classes, such as business technical and cooperative education, early childhood and teaching, health sciences, aviation, welding, building construction, horticulture, fish and wildlife, and automotive technology.

The schools offer flexible schedules with students studying for one, two, three or four blocks during the day.

“We even have a few students who have completed their studies at the high school level and could have graduated early,” Mowdy said, “but felt the need to come here for additional training before entering the job market and they are here all day.”

SBCT students also participate in statewide competitions with three students, Austin Tolbert (first place), Jon Ellison (second place) and John Rohm (fourth place) bringing home top awards from the Southwest Alabama Skills Welding Competition.

They advanced to the State Skills USA competition along with Paul Miller and Brent Phillips in building construction, and Gerson Tunek and Joe Kahl in architecture and drafting. Bradley Barker, Jessie Fleming and Chris Devine participated as observers for next year’s automotive technology competition.

SBCT’s horticulture program recently won second place in landscape nursery at the FFA’s district contest in Enterprise with Michah Smith, Parker Davis, Carrie Everette and Erin Council participating in the State FFA competition in Auburn and Montgomery this summer.

SBCT’s automotive program was also recognized by the National Automotive Teachers Education Foundation as an ASE certified program.

And SBCT’s skills training doesn’t stop at the high school level, Mowdy said.

“We recognize that college is not for everybody, but we also realize that for many of our students, training extends beyond the high school level,” he said.

Several courses, such as drafting and architecture, aviation, welding, building construction and automotive technology, are offered as dual enrollment programs with Faulkner State Community College and Enterprise Community College.

In fact, 19 of SBCT’s students will receive diplomas from FSCC, before they receive their high school diplomas, Mowdy said.

On Friday, May 4, schools throughout Baldwin County will be holding open houses for “See for Yourself” day and while Mowdy, who has served at the school for 25 years, the last seven as principal, said SBCT held its open house back in March, he wanted everyone to know the opportunities the school has to offer.

“I love this school,” he said, “and I love what it does for our students.”