Kootenai Technical Education Campus

The Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC) not only educates students to work in the trades, it specifically selects trades prominent in Northern Idaho, thus creating a stronger, more educated and highly trained future workforce.

KTEC opened in Rathdrum back in 2012 after a year of planning and a pilot program. Spurred by local industries, the facility offers programs in technology, the trades and healthcare to high school students residing in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland school districts. Students attend KTEC part time each day and attend their respective high schools for their core education classes, Tim Fortune, director of KTEC explained.

“KTEC is a professional technical high school similar to other models in southern Idaho, but this is a first in the Panhandle region,” he said. “It was an industry-level charge by a couple of key industries, [but] we are a consortium of area schools.”

Ground Force [Worldwide], Bay Shore [Systems Inc] and Kootenai Health were among the industries involved in creating KTEC. They wanted to pool their resources for a professional/technical facility that area schools couldn’t offer on their own, Fortune said. And it’s a win-win situation where students can get ahead and graduate high school with better-paying employment opportunities, and industries get highly trained employees.

The facility receives industry support through donations of materials and equipment, but their main funding comes from the school districts and the state. The unique nature of the facility lies in that it serves three school districts. Other models have typically served only one.

“For KTEC to exist there had to be some legislative changes because it hadn’t been done with a joint school district facility,” he said. The state now has a specific budget for this model.

KTEC is unique in that it not only brings together students from Kootenai County, it creates a diverse education setting.

“It’s an interesting culture – we have honors and AP students working with other students towards the same goal. It’s very diverse in that regard, which doesn’t happen often,” Fortune said.

KTEC programs include: computer repair and networking, engineering and automation, construction, welding, self-occupations, automotive, diesel, resort management, personal training, physical therapy assistant, certified nursing assistant and media technology. The programs are reflective of the needs of the industry community.

“We don’t just add a program, we analyze the labor market and look at how to serve students get trained and enter [secondary] education or the workforce,” he said. The newest programs added were the personal training and physical therapy assistant programs. A future possibility may be an aerospace program though industry needs are difficult to predict precisely.

Students participate in their junior and senior years. Some seek out and apply to KTEC on their own; others are encouraged by guidance counselors or teachers. Some are following in a sibling’s footsteps. In all, students are “test driving” careers before making a career path decision after high school.

“It’s a low-cost way to find out if the career is something they are interested in and in some cases isn’t right for them,” Fortune said.

Now in its third year, KTEC is beginning to receive feedback on some of its alumni. Many go on to secondary education or the workforce in their chosen industry. A number of current and former students have given it accolades and good reviews on Facebook for the hands-on education they can’t get in a traditional school setting. Recent posts show students building a house; another shows them in a welding lab.

Sarah Kirk, a junior at Lakeland Senior High School, started the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program this year. She is looking to get ahead in the medical profession. Currently the class is focusing on the history of medicine before moving on to the lab portion where they practice their new medical skills on dummies.

“I want to be a surgeon - these classes will put me ahead by a lot. I’ll be a CNA when I’m going to school to be a surgeon,” she said. “It’s an extra boost.”

“A number of students go to NIC [North Idaho College] or a four-year track route. We have 300 students and they go in 300 different directions sometimes,” he said.

Students receive training that is on par with industry standards. If they complete their program, they receive certification recognized by the industry. Students also earn technical preparation credits which can put them ahead if they attend NIC.

“We make sure they work toward industry standards. For example, in welding, students receive the American Welding Society certificate which would be recognized by any employer. We make sure they earn what the industry recognizes,” he said.

Fortune started at KTEC as a welding instructor and resumed the position of director a year later. He is a professional welder and teacher. He worked in the welding industry for five years and as a welding and engineering instructor in Washington for nine years.

Some of the faculty are like him with industry and teaching experience while others come straight from professional or educational careers.

“By and large, it’s industry people who want to give back to the community,” Fortune said.

The future can only hold and create more opportunities for students at KTEC. NIC is building a Career and Technical facility and will be their neighbor. Fortune looks forward to collaborate with them and have KTEC students benefit further by having a college so close to them. The two schools will likely share equipment as well as instructors.

“We’ve started to establish our name in the community and we’re proving that [KTEC] works,” he said. “I think you’ll see an incredible alignment between the high school and college students that may become a national model. That’s my vision for KTEC,” Fortune said.

#local #lifecommunity