Courtesy photo.
SANTA MARIA — Fifty-five Righetti High School geology students recently earned Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) General Industry Certifications as part of the Career Technical Education (CTE) Environmental Resources Pathway.
The pathway teaches students about the environment, sustainability and agriculture along with the types of jobs they can acquire within each of these industries, according to science/geology teacher Laura Branch. The online test took 10 to 13 hours to complete.
“Once my employer found out I got my OSHA General Industry Certificate, they wanted to see my card so they could give me a dollar per hour raise since they know I am certified in safety,’’ said student Noah Rodrigues.
Branch said the certifications were paid for through CTE funds from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
“Students can add the certification to their resume and that’s a win-win situation,’’ Branch added. “The students get the certification and local industries get workers who are OSHA certificated, who will be safe on the job.’’