EWC Tech Prep Funding Approved
August 11, 2003
(Torrington, WY) The Technology & Trades Tech Prep Consortium is pleased to announce that they were approved for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Competitive Funds in the amount of $21,000 for the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
Tech Prep uniquely promotes a common goal for secondary and higher education as well as for workforce and economic development. It promotes smooth transitions from high school to college to promising careers. Eastern Wyoming College holds agreements with seventeen high schools throughout the state in the welding trade and with eight high schools throughout the service area in Business Office Technology.
Funds from the grant will be used to purchase equipment for five consortium member high school welding programs this year. Torrington High School will receive an analog hardness tester. Brian Kennahs classroom in Hulett will receive a 20/20 compact bender and a pedestal ring roller. At Moorcroft, the program will receive a Millermatic 252 X wire feel welder. Natrona County High School will receive a bandsaw, blade and roller stand. Welding students at Wheatland High School will be receiving a Drag-gum 38 plasma cutter.
The National Tech Prep Network Annual Conference will be held October 8-11,
2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. Representatives from the area high schools and from Eastern Wyoming College will be attending.
The Fifth Annual Technology Day will be held November 6, 2003. This event, hosted by the Technology and Trades Consortium, provides high school students with an opportunity to visit the Eastern Wyoming College campus and participate in hands-on activities with instructors in career and technical programs. Technical programs participating in technology day include welding, veterinary technology, business office technology, and cosmetology. Registration for Technology Day is on-line.
Tech Prep is an important option for students seeking to develop their skills as an alternative to a traditional four-year college program. These programs are becoming increasingly important as employers and educators recognize the critical need for a better-trained work force. Students participating in tech-prep programs have the opportunity to earn college credit while obtaining their high school education. This saves students time and money, as they work toward the completion of their post-secondary education.
Eastern Wyoming College welcomes inquiries from any high school teacher or administrator to determine what tech prep agreements may be developed in technical programs. To learn how your school district or business can participate in the Technology & Trades Tech-Prep Consortium or how you as a student can enroll, please contact your high school counselor or Maureen Reichert at Eastern Wyoming College, 532-8323, mreicher@ewc.wy.edu.
