Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Center has begun work on a $1.5 million, 11,000 square foot facility at their Tiffin campus. The building will be the new home of the Public Safety Program.  The addition of space will move the program from just a classroom space to a lab environment that will allow the instructor to train the students in a setting similar to a real academy.  There will be adequate space for physical and tactical training, an evidence and booking room, and also a bay entrance for equipment for the program. It will also have classrooms for the Adult Education and Collision Repair Programs, and a Wellness Center. The school has also partnered with the Seneca County Commissioners that will allow the new facility to be a secondary location for their Emergency Operation Center in the county. Clouse Construction is the contractor for the project, but now that the building is under roof, Sentinel students will gain hands on experience in their field of study as they work to complete the project, including (but not limited to) constructing walls and running the electric. Another project underway at Sentinel is the "AIM" Mobile Career Tech bus.  This will be a mobile lab used to introduce K-8 students in 13 school districts to in-demand careers and the 12 career clusters available at Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Centers. It is designed to engage students with career connections and experiential learning to better prepare for in-demand careers at an early age.   This re-purposed bus (a partnership between Automotive and Collision Repair) will be a mobile and multi-functional CTE lab.  An instructor will deliver exposure and hands-on experiences to students at their home school  that will help AIM them in the right direction towards their future goals.   This should be completed for the 2017-2018 school year. Vanguard-Sentinel is also looking at continuing to help mitigate a crisis in workforce preparation for advanced manufacturing careers and skilled trades with RAMTEC. Funded by the Ohio Department of Education's Straight A Fund, RAMTEC supports a holistic approach to economic/workforce development by allowing students to demonstrate mastery of skills on equipment identical to that used in Ohio manufacturing industries. There will also be an expansion of programs, that will add and expand opportunities for  Freshman through adults, continuing to focus on industry credentials but expanding opportunities including early placements and pre-apprenticeship programs designed in close collaboration with local business and industry partners. Sentinel is also involved in the strategic planning process for a county-wide Workforce Development Plan. Sentinel opened in 1985, and in 1997 the Family Learning Center was added in partnership with Seneca County.  Five years ago, the entire facility underwent a complete renovation which included energy efficient upgrades to lighting, HVAC, and technology.  The total cost of the renovation was $7 million.