Change is an inevitable part of life, both personally and professionally. Change has been a part of Eric Rehmer’s life and it is challenge he readily accepts and in many respects thrives upon.
In April, Rehmer was named the new executive director for the Career and Technical Center at State Fair Community College, replacing Michael Wright, who announced he would be returning to the Sedalia School District 200 to Team SCREAM at Smith-Cotton High School.
“It’s been my desire to have the opportunity to lead a Career and Technical Center for the past few years,” Rehmer said. “When this opportunity presented itself, the timing was right for my family and me so I decided to accept the position here at SFCC.
“Here at the CTC we have amazing resources for our students to use for training and they will gain valuable skills for the next stage in their career, whether that is college or a skilled career,” he added. “We believe in the philosophy of learning by doing, meaning that our students are taught the concept and then are trained on industry equipment to hone that skill.”
Rehmer has firsthand knowledge of that philosophy as he has taught Precision Machining Technology at SFCC’s CTC for the past three years.
Prior to joining the staff at the college, Rehmer was an industrial arts teacher at Smithton for eight years, before moving into administration at Smithton for five years.
He continued in administration, serving as the high school principal of Green Ridge R-VIII for a year before returning to the classroom.
“In the fall of 2014, I had the opportunity to become part of the CTC here,” Rehmer said. “Since my passion has always been the skilled trades, I thought this was an opportunity I could not pass up.
“I always wanted to become an educator and administrator because I want to help students find their passion and attain their educational goals and life goals,” Rehmer explained. “My plans and goals for this upcoming year are to continue the growth and direction achieved this past year. The CTC provides a tremendous opportunity for our area juniors and seniors to gain valuable skilled training in our nine technical areas.”
Rehmer credits the staff of the CTC in large part for the training the students obtain.
“We have an outstanding staff that excels in each of their fields.” Rehmer stated. “They do an excellent job of training our students to be college and career ready.”
That is one of the challenges Rehmer sees for the CTC program in the future.
“A challenge we face and possibly will always face is how quickly technology advances and changes,” Rehmer said. “We must stay current with these advances as well as current on what skills industry wants and needs in their employees.
“We want area employers to look locally for excellent employees and the CTC could be the first option when they have openings at their facilities,” he added. “By creating strong relationships and having open lines of communication with our industry partners we hope to lessen those challenges. We need and value their input and support of our programs.”
Improving communication between all parties involved with the CTC is another challenge Rehmer sees.
“When I started here I kept hearing various people say we were the best kept secret in the area by what we had to offer students in the skilled trade’s areas,” Rehmer commented. ‘Well, we no longer want to be a secret.
“We must communicate with our vision and mission to our families, schools, industries and communities,” he added. “This way they will know what opportunities are available here at the CTC and they will be able to take advantage of the wonderful things we have to offer.”
