Northwest Tech Hosts Sophomore Tours and Open House

Choosing a career is sometimes a daunting task!  People of all ages struggle with the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”  Northwest Technology Center is helping sophomores from area high schools answer the question.

Photo Above: Ron Rader, Automotive Technology instructor at Northwest Technology Center talks with sophomores from Alva and Burlington about career options in the Automotive industry.

Recently, Northwest Technology Center held four days of touring for area sophomores. Prior to the tours, the high school students were presented the programs offered at the tech center.  Careers that can come from training in these fields were also discussed. The students were then asked to select two programs of interest.

During the tours, the students were able to spend an hour in each of their “programs of interest” to determine if that career field is an area that they would like to pursue.  Students from Alva, Freedom, Waynoka, Fairview, Ringwood, Canton, Aline-Cleo, Burlington, Cherokee and Okeene participated in the tours.  Later in the school year, high school students will have the opportunity to “shadow” programs in which they show an interest.

According to Dr. Gerald Harris, Assistant Superintendent at NWTC’s Fairview Campus, “We are thrilled at the response from our tours. Over 80% of the students who attended the tours indicated a career interest in the programs that they toured.  We want to help students find a way to fit attending NWTC into their high school schedules.”

Photo Above: Sarah White, Health Careers Certification instructor at NWTC talks with Katie Gluth, AHS Sophomore about the "Anatomy In Clay" project done in the Health program at NWTC.

Open Houses are scheduled at both campuses. The Alva Open House will be held on Tuesday, November 18.  The Fairview Open House will be held on Thursday, November 20. In addition to the general public, students who attended the tours and their parents are encouraged to attend the event   On both campuses, the event will run from 5 pm until 6:15 pm. Daytime programs will be open for touring and their instructors will be available to answer questions.

Photo Above: Nicholas Keen, FHS Sophomore learns about the Automotive Technology program at Northwest Technology Center during the recent Sophomore Tour event.

Jane Bowen, Assistant Superintendent at the Alva Campus stated that Career Counselors will be on-hand during both Open Houses to help students with questions on scheduling and college credit.
Daytime program enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year will begin in February.  High school and adult students who are interested in attending beginning in the fall of 2009 are encouraged to enroll at that time. Program sizes are limited by the State Department of CareerTech, and fill up on a first come, first serve basis. For more information on attending Northwest Technology Center as either a high school or an adult student, contact 580-227-3708 in Fairview or 580-327-0344 in Alva.