Clark County Vocational Skills Center Programs
The Skills Center Program Renewal cycle determines the needs of the employing community and subsequently the education needs of its students. An industry-specific committee identifies the needs and recommends the equipment, technology and instructional strategies to be implemented in its specific program area.
To launch a new program, Aviation Mechanics, the Skills Center offers a pilot version of the program during its summer session to work out the "bugs", promote the program adequately before it launches in 2015 and determine the spacial needs for the program for the new building in which it will housed.
Select Skills Center students -- Campus Advocates -- market the Skills Center programs to students in their home (sending) school. The credibility of receiving the message from a peer instead of adult has been proven to increase enrollment and buy-in from prospective students.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
The Skills Center was invited to join the Career and Technical Education Baldridge Excellence Network, a national think tank association of ten exemplary technical schools.
Business Week Magazine recognized the Skills Center as one of three high schools in the nation for instructional innovation.
The Columbia River Education Council (CREWC) honored the Skills Center three years in a row for outstanding partnerships with business.
Albertson’s Foundation has recognized the Skills Center as one of the top six technical schools in the nation.
Over 250 business and industry professionals serve on advisory committees to Skills Center programs. That equates to one community volunteer for every three Skills Center students.