The Kent Career Technical Center (KCTC) located off of the East Beltline is an educational option for juniors and seniors to acquire skills that they will use in future careers and can often be a route for those who are looking for alternatives to college.
KCTC was founded in 1971, almost 50 years ago. Throughout those years they have added multiple additions to the campus. Including the use of off site locations. Such as Gerald R. Ford Airport, Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), the Downtown Market and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids.
To allow for the 20+ programs they offer the Tech Center receives funding from property tax on each house in Kent County. This tax is paid each year by property owners to support KCTC.
“We are very thankful for this funding as it allows nearly 2,500 students each year from all the schools in the county to come together for strong hands-on opportunities that lead to career and/or college ready students,” Principal Ryan Graham said.
To learn these skills, students participate in hands-on labs and learn from instructors who have worked in specific fields they are learning about. Many second year programs also offer an opportunity for students to earn a professional license for that business or industry that would be required to work in the field.
The programs also offer college or high school credit. Northview offers .5 of a math credit and .5 of an English credit for specific courses when a student enrolls at KCTC.
The math credit must be earned during the student’s senior year, but it can’t replace an Algebra I, II, or Geometry credit and although the English credit can be earned during junior or senior year, it can be used to substitute any 9th-12th grade English credit.
Additionally, Northview allows students enrolled in KCTC to waive the second credit of a Foreign Language and a third credit of Science.
Because of this, junior Maria Potrero was able to waive her Math, World Language, and Science credits due to the benefit of the Tech Center. Instead, she was able to take more electives.
To accommodate all students who are enrolled in KCTC, they offer three sessions. The first session begins at 6:55-9:10 AM, the second session begins at 9:15-11:30 AM, leaving the third session to start at 12:00-2:15 PM.
The programs KCTC offers are in Health Sciences, Human Services, Arts and Communication, Business Management Marketing, Technology, Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, and Natural Resources. These subjects are an overview of what it offers; classes are more specific to a career.
For instance, health science allows the students to have the same experience as they would in the hospital through labs.
Once the courses are done, most leave the program with a certificate as a Medical Assistant (MA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Pharmacy Tech, Nurse Tech (NT), or a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
For those in Arts and Communication, they acquire experience behind the scenes in programming to help prepare them for future careers. Students are also able to create games through animation, along with many other opportunities to advance in the field.
Students in Aviation will work on planes located in the Gerald R. Ford Airport. With this program, they will learn how to prepare for flight and become familiar with the electrical components needed during it.
With these programs, students will walk away from KCTC with an in-depth understanding of the career path they are interested in.
If a student is interested in applying for a program, visit the link in the School Announcements and the Counseling Office Opportunities page. This can be found in a student’s email or in the Mavin app links.
For more information click here.
