News Post:

EDITORIAL: Another step in the right career direction.

Greater Lowell Technical High School plans to expand its already robust curriculum by adding the study of veterinary science starting this fall, which will be taught in a brand-new building specifically designed for the purpose.

As with other courses, students at the regional school in Tyngsboro will receive a hands-on education about the care and treatment of various animals. The new building includes a classroom, along with many features found in a typical veterinary facility, including treatment rooms, grooming stations and an X-ray machine.

Outgoing Superintendent-Director Jill Davis said the new program and facility “reflects our continued commitment to expanding high-quality career technical education opportunities for our students.”

“What makes this program especially meaningful is that it was truly the result of student voice and choice. We listened carefully to the interests and aspirations of our students, and from those conversations the vision of this program was born,” said Davis.

The creation of the building — thanks in part to the efforts of Erik Gitschier, Lowell’s mayor and the school’s director of plant services — was a collaborative effort that involved students from several of the school’s other technical programs, with some of them painting the building and designing the program logo, while others doing the electrical work and masonry outside.

Davis said the goal is to eventually partner with a local veterinary clinic to help the program become a clinic of its own.

Greg Haas, Greater Lowell Tech’s director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, said the program is unique since it’s the only Chapter 74 veterinary science program in the entire state.

While other vocational-technical schools — including Westford-based Nashoba Valley Technical School — offer some veterinary courses, GLRTS currently holds the distinction of having the only program dedicated to veterinary science.

That recognition might not last long.

In May, Gov. Maura Healey announced the awarding of over $70 million in grants to career technical education programs across the state.

Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical School plans to use part of its $3.75 million in funding towards a new veterinary science program with exam tables, grooming tools, and access to earn veterinary CPR and Approved veterinary assistant certification.

“Being able to start this program reflects the way Greater Lowell continues to design programs that respond directly to student interest and emerging opportunities in career fields,” said Haas.

Annabel Brown, one of the first students who’ll participate in the program, said she had always wanted to be a veterinarian; she brings considerable experience to the program, with caring for a busy household of pets, including four dogs and five rats, in addition to two rats she’s currently fostering.

“When I saw that I could be one at my own high school and really just get the opportunity to learn so much so in my future I can be a vet,” said Brown.

Camilla Nzaramba, another first-year student, said she has not had much experience with pets, but that she sought to join the program anyway.

“I wasn’t around animals much, but I did always love them, so I wanted to explore them and be around them more and figure out how they work in this shop,” said Nzaramba.

As mentioned, vocational-technical schools prepare students to fill existing needs in the workplace, and the veterinary program certainly fits that description.

A combination of factors has created a critical demand for veterinary services.

NBC10 Boston reported in March 2023 that a massive increase in pet ownership, exacerbated by an exodus from animal medicine, led to what industry experts called “crisis” level staffing shortages both in Massachusetts and across the country. As a result, people and their pets were waiting hours for treatment, and in some cases being turned away from Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain.

“COVID really did a number on us,” MSPCA-Angell CEO Neal Litvack told NBC10 Boston. “The demand for medical services in animal medicine has gone through the roof at the very same time that there is a deepening shortage of the labor to deliver those services.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Litvack said there was a 20% increase in the number of households that have pets in the Boston area.

That demand’s backed up by government data.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projections, employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is projected to grow 9% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 14,300 openings for veterinary technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

The same demand exists for licensed veterinarians.

According to employment recruiter Indeed, because of the shortage, salaries in Massachusetts are higher than the national average. Openings typically pay from $92,000 to $185,000 per year, depending on experience and location.