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Career education prepares Dist. 94 students for life

The goal of career and technical education is to prepare students to be successful in school, work and life.

West Chicago Community High School offers a range of courses to prepare students for future success. These courses strengthen students' computer skills, increase business knowledge, expose them to a variety of career options, and prepare them for a successful future regardless of what college or career field they may enter.

Courses offered at WCCHS include basic keyboarding/word processing; computer applications 1, 2 and 3; multimedia design; website production; introduction to business principles; accounting; business law; marketing; consumer education; career/business option 1 and 2; business/technical internship class; cooperative work training; and seminars in sports and entertainment marketing and in investments.

Some of these courses offer dual credit at College of DuPage.

In addition to these elective offerings, West Chicago Community High School District 94 partners with 13 other school districts to govern the Technology Center of DuPage in Addison.

TCD offers half-day elective programs in agriculture, food and natural resources; architecture and construction; arts, A-V technology and communications; business and administration; education and training; health science; hospitality and tourism; human services; information technology; law, public safety, corrections and security; manufacturing; science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and transportation and logistics.

TCD features a quarter-million square foot campus, state-of-the-art technology, and up-to-date skills instruction used in today's high-demand careers.

District 94 provides the tuition and bus transportation for 72 students. A combination of local, state and federal funding pays for the programs. The only cost to the student is a modest class fee and necessary supplies.

TCD academic curricula are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Employability skills (attendance, cooperation, initiative, dependability, teamwork, and safety/sanitation/accuracy) are as important as occupational and academic skills at TCD.

Workplace skills such as résumé writing, interviewing, business correspondence and portfolio development are also an important part of each program's curriculum.

Through TCD programs, students have the opportunity to earn transferable college credit; prepare for industry, state or national licensing and certification exams; qualify for apprenticeships; or earn scholarships and grants toward college.

Our students are very successful at TCD, with 86 percent earning As and Bs. Over the past four years, TCD seniors were awarded more than $1.3 million in scholarships.

District 94 leaders feel these programs are important to college-bound students as well as those preparing for more immediate careers. We will continue to grow our own program and develop additional opportunities for our students to test future careers and secure valuable experiences.

• Doug Domeracki is superintendent of West Chicago Community High School District 94 and currently serves as president of the board that oversees the Technology Center of DuPage. His column appears monthly in Neighbor during the school year.

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