Each Career Technical Center (CTC) provides students with the opportunity to study their career interests by enrolling in one of the CTC’s programs. By combining a CTE program with an appropriate sequence of high school courses (refer to the Career Clusters plans of study), students will prepare themselves for a variety of options after high school, including four-year and two- year college programs, apprenticeships, and entry-level positions in their career field.

CTE programs are not simply electives. Most CTE programs are two years in length and a student can start in their Sophomore year, though most students start in their Junior year. They are designed to develop the technical, academic and employability skills that will help students become successful members of today’s workforce. We are looking for students who are genuinely interested in enrolling in a CTE program and willing to make the two-year commitment to complete the program.

Students interested in Dover or Somersworth programs must complete an application. In the spring of 2016, the Tri-City CTCs began using an online application called Enroll Track. The link to the online application is https://tricity.enrolltrack.com/. To complete the application, students must have an active email address and be able to provide an email address for their parent/guardian. Students who have any questions about the application process should see their School Counselor, the Director of CTE, or the Teacher of the CTE Program they are interested in. Students interested in a Rochester Program will complete their course requests in February. All students are interviewed.

Students should know that completing an application/course request does not guarantee acceptance into the CTE program they are applying for. There are many factors that are considered including each student’s grades, discipline record, attendance record and work skills. There are also limits on how many students can be enrolled in each CTE program. Students are encouraged to list a second choice in case their first choice is not available.

Students will be enrolled based on the following priorities:

1. Grade in School

• Priority is given to students who can complete a full program.

2. Student Records

• Transcript/Grades

• Attendance Record

• Discipline Record

Students will be notified by email of their application status. The high school guidance counselors will also be notified so that they can work with the student to create a course schedule that can best accommodate the CTE program and the student’s required academic coursework.

Students need to demonstrate a willingness to engage in the course content and are expected to adhere to the attendance policy in place at the CTC. Students should be aware that their acceptance into a CTE program can be revoked at any time. Unwillingness to actively participate and/or excessive absences could result in removal from the program.

Because of the nature of many of our programs, students need to be able to demonstrate the ability to adhere to safety rules so as to not endanger themselves or others. Student misconduct will not be tolerated and could be grounds for removal from the program. Students who cannot exhibit safe behavior will be removed from the program.

Students should be aware that the courses that comprise each CTE program are not offered in each block. Students should speak with their guidance counselor to determine when during the school day the different courses are offered. For those students who are considering a program at either Dover or Somersworth, they should understand that each school runs on its own daily schedule. Additionally, buses are available to take students back and forth to the schools but the travel time to and from Dover and Somersworth may have an adverse effect on a student’s course schedule in Rochester. Meeting academic requirements for graduation must be the priority when scheduling a student who has been accepted into a CTE program. Students, parents, and guidance counselors need to carefully consider the impact of participating in an off-campus CTE program as they make decisions about the student’s yearly course schedule. Once enrolled, students are expected to stay enrolled in that course until the end of the semester or year (whichever is the case). When extenuating circumstances exist, students may be allowed to drop a full-year course at the end of the first semester, but they will NOT receive credit for partial completion. Students should also be aware that only second-semester courses can be added if the student has taken the necessary prerequisite. No students will be allowed to add a full-year course in the second semester.

Career Technical Education includes Professional & Employability Standards (Soft Skills/Work Skill Competencies) that students should be consistently demonstrated in Year 1 of a program. If a student is not demonstrating these skills, there may be concerns regarding the student’s ability to continue into Year 2 of the program. Our desire is to always support students in completing their CTE Program - Program teachers will communicate concerns with students and families. If a student is unable to show improvement in the identified areas, at the program teacher's discretion, they may not be able to continue into Year 2 of a program.