BAVTS Training Students for the Future

Just east of on Chester Avenue sits a building that houses some of the smartest, creative, and most skilled folks in the Lehigh Valley.  It’s a place where education meets the real world, a place where a cake is transformed from a desert into a work of art, a pile of maple boards into a kitchen cabinet fit for the White House, and an empty lot into a home for a family of four.  The (BAVTS) is a unique educational institution that has quietly existed for over 40 years, but dates back as far as the early 1900’s.  BAVTS receives very little press or recognition for its students, but it’s safe to say it contributes more to the local economy than we could ever imagine.

BAVTS as it’s currently organized is a joint venture between the Bethlehem Area, Northampton Area, and Saucon Valley School Districts.  It’s a training ground for tomorrow’s carpenters, chefs, mechanics, bakers, stylists, and many more skilled professions.  Students who attend BAVTS do so while attending high school.  They are committed to their skill and in my humble opinion are the best in the Lehigh Valley.  This was evident on February 1st in the Allentown Fairground AgriPlex where the regional Skills USA competition was held.  It was a day long competition between 5 area Career and Technical Centers that combined instruct over 5,000 students.  BAVTS had 60 students qualify to attend, and out of those 60 students 32 earned medals, 12 of which were Gold.  Most notable were two females who won gold medals in the male dominated trades of carpentry and masonry.  All of the gold medal winners will now move on to the state competition, and from there could possibly earn a trip to Las Vegas for the National Skills USA Championships. 

The vision statement of the is “Shaping the future, one child at a time.”  We often mistake “the future” for college.  The future is in fact whatever comes next.  Not all of our students will go on to college, not all become doctors and lawyers and accountants.  For many they will excel in a skilled trade and BAVTS will take them there.  It’s because of place like BAVTS that the Lehigh Valley is such a desired location to live, work, and relocate.  Businesses invest in this area because there is a skilled workforce to service the area.  Our banquet facilities are second to none because of the pastry chefs and culinary professionals that got their start at BAVTS.  High tech, progressive, technology based businesses are flourishing here and the students who make up the schools creative cluster of graphic, fashion, media, and web designers will ensure more of these companies open up shop in the valley.  It’s also no secret that there is a race to be the biggest health care provider in the area.  BAVTS offers a health services program that will help start the careers of our aspiring nurses and doctors. 

This only touches the surface of what BAVTS has to offer.  There are programs for welders, protective services, crime scene investigators, floriculture, cosmetology, construction, and much more.  The school truly is a hidden treasure in Bethlehem.  If you work professionally in one of the trades that BAVTS teaches I encourage you to contact the school and see how you can help.  Local businesses do a lot to support the school through donations and volunteer service.  You can also check out the Skills USA link above to see how you can help.