We have a variety of career tech programs on two campuses, Main Campus in Lebanon and Atrium Campus in Middletown. Students spend half of their day with us in their lab, gaining hands-on skill experience in labs with the equipment you would find in that particular career field. The other half of the day, a student will take academic classes to earn the credits necessary for graduation. Our academic teachers work hard to make academics relevant to career tech training so students get the hands-on skills and academic knowledge needed to succeed.
Students typically attend WCCC during their junior and senior years of high school. As students at WCCC, you will be in a program lab that focuses on your career field interest. Think of your lab time as you would a major in college. So, depending on your future goals, you could major in Digital Design, Criminal Justice, Dental Assisting, Heavy Equipment, and many more, but you get the point! Even though it’s similar to college in picking a field of study, WCCC is a public school, so there is no tuition to attend. There are only student fees for supplies and uniforms. We are an open-enrollment school so you can apply from one of our associate school districts or any area school: online, private, public, or homeschooling. Students that
reside in our associate schools district areas do get preference in our acceptance lottery.
And if you’re wondering,
YES, you can take college-level courses here at WCCC. We offer College Credit Plus, Honors, and AP courses. There are plenty of opportunities for students to earn college credit here, which can save you thousands of dollars! Some of our programs lead straight to work, and others require post-secondary education in a college, university, or technical school. Many of these programs will allow you to earn college credit while still in high school. Our programs offer opportunities to earn industry certifications, college credits, and scholarships. Click
HERE to learn how your credits will transfer.
Did we mention hands-on learning experience? Yes, of course, we did because that’s what makes career tech so unique! But seriously, imagine THIS as your day at school - Building a church, putting out a fire, working side by side with a veterinarian during surgery, designing a company logo, and programming a robot! Pretty cool, huh?
Okay, this sounds great, but you love your school, so how could you leave? The good news is that we are in partnership with your school district! This means that even though you would attend WCCC for your junior and senior years, you are still connected to your home school! While you will come here each school day to earn industry credentials and certifications, your home school will always be the one to grant your HS diploma. We will work directly with your counselors to make sure you are taking the classes needed to earn graduation credits.
For you, it means the best of both worlds. If you’re an athlete, you can still be an athlete for your home school (we don’t have sports here unless you count welding since you do wear a helmet); graduation – you can still walk in your home school ceremony AND participate in ours. Prom? Yep, you can do BOTH (yes, we have our own prom!). Homecoming, senior fun days, plays, after-school clubs, yep, you can STILL do them at your home school! Many of our students choose to stay very connected to their home school, while others dive in entirely to the WCCC world; it’s entirely up to YOU!
New places and new faces! Students often tell us that one of their favorite parts about coming to WCCC is all of the new friends they’ve met. We have students from over ten districts that attend here. Because students choose to attend WCCC in their field of interest, it is pretty typical that they meet their new best friends while they’re here. Even though you may not know everyone on the first day, you already have something in common with everyone in your lab – you’re interested in that career path. So imagine meeting 20+ other people that are interested in Cybersecurity, Heavy Equipment, or Early Childhood Education, just like you!
If you think this all sounds good to you, and you are now wondering, what should you do? All students must apply and be accepted to attend the WCCC programs. Ideally, you should apply before January 1, 2023, for the best shot into your first-choice program (if it’s past that date, it’s okay, there is still a chance we can get you in). Once we have your application, we will get your transcript from 9th grade until now. If a program is oversubscribed (meaning more applications than spots available), we will use a lottery system to fairly place students into programs. Only students that have applied before Jan 1 will be considered for the lottery system.
If you’re on an IEP or have a 504 plan, that’s totally fine! We have an intervention staff here that will support all of your needs!
Can I go to college if I attend the Career Center?
Yes! In fact, over 60 percent of our students currently go on to college after graduation. You will have career skills upon high school graduation that will enable you to work through college. Many students earn college credits toward associate degrees while at the Career Center and will have an advantage over other students entering college in the fall.
Student acceptance notifications will start going out in late March. All accepted students will be invited to our Welcome to the Family Night in April. This event will allow you to see your lab space, meet your teachers and some of your peers, get uniform details, and make sure you have everything in place to join us in August.
After that, you will start your career journey as part of the WCCC family! You will find confidence here, and you will love it. We promise!
So what else do you need to want to know? Send us a message, and we’ll get back to you with answers as soon as we can! [email protected]