Shane McDaniel takes over as the fifth director of what was once referred to as the Vo- Tech Center, now known as the Winston-Louisville Career Technology Center. The center was established in 1971 and has allowed a multitude of high school students the opportunity to gain important skills that prepare them for the workforce.
McDaniel said, "It's been a good place; it's been very beneficial to Winston County. A lot of good people have been put to work in the industry around here."
The center has grown and evolved over the years to now offer courses in Agriculture and Power Machinery, Career Pathways, Construction, Culinary Arts, Forestry, Simulation and Animation Design, Teacher Academy, and two Health Sciences offerings.
According to McDaniel, the skilled labor force makes up a large sector of the overall workforce in this nation, and centers such as WLCTC give students a head start in learning those necessary skills they can use in a two-year vocational program, or to step out of high school into an apprentice program, while being very well paid.
McDaniel has a background in welding. After high school, he spent two years at the EMCC-Mayhew campus. He later received an associate degree from ECCC and a bachelor’s degree from MUW. He now holds a master’s degree and will soon begin work on his dissertation for his doctorate.
McDaniel worked at Taylor Machine Works for 10 years, and beginning in 2006, he spent 12 years at the WLCTC. The past four years have been at the EMCC-Scooba campus.
He said he is excited about this opportunity and coming back home, realizing he has big shoes to fill. He said there have been good leaders in the past, and he wants to build on what they have done.
He is married to Chasity Robertson McDaniel, and they have three children.
