The Manhattan-Ogden school board has approved a partnership with Manhattan Area Technical College and area businesses to explore the possibility of creating a college and career academy.
Superintendent Marvin Wade says the goal is to help students become informed consumers and use real world applications.
“We want to continue the discussions and that’s going to include and what are the programs of study what are the areas that are out there that we can expand. Right now we’re limited in space and what we’re able to do so we need to look at space, we need to look at the programs, we need to look at partnerships who brings what to the table.”
Wade says the partnership would work as a more complicated intergovernmental agreement with these entities. The programs involved would be an expansion of introductory classes within the seven career fields.
“Growing your own getting them in there giving them opportunities for students to decide is this something they want to do and if that fits for them as well that they would have the introduction courses, the technical courses, the application to experience more education so that would be part of it.”
The approval was given by the school board during their meeting Wednesday. MATC President Jim Genandt says the concept is not a new one.
“If you look at national research on career academies the benefits are they often helps students who maybe feel lost not motivated, can’t make the connection of ‘why am I learning about the war of 1812’ because it gives them into more hands on atmosphere so it tends to start reducing dropout rates which is more motivation for completion.”
Genandt says this wouldn’t just include technical education, but also general education. The current goal is to look at the current facility and optimize it to match needs for high wage/high demand critical needs. MATC received a planning grant from the Caroline Peine Foundation to work with the district on this proposal.
