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Our mission is to prepare high school students for higher education and entry into the workforce. Tech Prep partners with independent school districts, colleges and universities, business and industry, and community entities to provide college prep technical programs, career development, and work-based learning experiences.
History of Tech Prep
If you have a Tech Prep program at your school, you've likely heard of articulation. However, unless you participated in the articulation process, you may not be aware of the benefits to your students and why they should be a part of Tech Prep.
Tech Prep is a national initiative linking career and technical education programs offered at the high school level to degree and certificate programs at the post-secondary level. In the Tech Prep Education Act of 1990, this initiative was implemented to strengthen education programs for youth who might not earn a four-year post-secondary degree.
At the national level, the goals of Tech Prep legislation were to:
- prepare students for promising careers
- to improve the quality of both academic and career and technical education and enhance effectiveness of preparing students for careers by more closely integrating them
- to improve education for the "neglected majority," those students in the middle quartiles who would most likely finish high school but were unlikely to complete a four-year post-secondary education program.
Employers were concerned that young people lacked both the social and technical skills required to succeed in even entry-level jobs. Increasingly, employees in many fields do not require a four-year degree, but do require specific technical training.
Tech Prep takes a local approach to addressing these issues. Tech Prep works with consortium high schools and post-secondary institutions to oversee articulation efforts and provide activities that help connect students to their futures. Tech Prep has tailored this national initiative to serve the community's unique population.
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Tech Prep Facts
28.1% of regional high school students are enrolled in Tech Prep college prep programs - an increase of 4.5% (State average: 13.1%)
Tech Prep students in the South Plains have higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, increased college attendance rates, and higher TAKS scores.
Almost 5,000 regional students took Tech Prep classes in 2005/2006.
$80,000 was awarded to regional high schools through grants
Area Ag teachers were given $14,000 in Hobart Curriculum materials.
Over 500 educators participated in Tech Prep professional development.
Over 1,400 juniors from 48 high schools spent the day with a business mentor for Groundhog Job Shadow Day.
Over 3,200 juniors and seniors from 49 high schools attended Career Expo.
Over 600 college and business representatives provided exhibits at the Career Expo.
85 individual departments from SPC, TTU, TTHSC, LCU and WBU partnered with Tech Prep in 2006/2007.