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Page County Technical Center highlights student credentials, recruitment and community partnerships
Summary
Presenters described rising credential rates, industry partnerships, community projects and recruitment efforts at Page County Technical Center; staff said some programs had wait lists and the center is studying future growth including potential mobile units and additional programs.
Page County Technical Center staff told the Page County School Board on Feb. 13 that students are earning industry certifications in high numbers, graduating into local employers and helping the community through applied projects.
The presentation, delivered by staff including Miss Pettit and Tommy Pitts, summarized credentialing, recent student competitions and outreach. “PCTC’s tagline is ‘preparing tomorrow’s professionals,’” Miss Pettit said, noting students’ career placement and certification results.
The center reported program-level results above state averages on multiple credential and certification measures. Presenters said cosmetology and medical assistant cohorts posted 100% credential rates last year compared with lower state averages; auto technology and welding students also scored “well” on multiple Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) tests and OSHA certifications. Staff emphasized that OSHA cards are lifetime credentials for students.
Presenters credited hands-on instruction for the outcomes and highlighted the center’s role in local workforce pipelines. Examples included graduates working for local employers such as Valley Health and a local salon, and program alumni who serve with the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department maintaining equipment.
The board heard that the center runs regular recruitment and outreach: classroom visits for sophomores, a fifth-grade CTE expo, seventh-grade tours, and a March recruitment event where prospective students sample classrooms and labs. Presenters described a signing day where students formally accept local employer offers; last year 16 students signed.
Staff acknowledged capacity constraints in popular programs. They said welding had a wait list of roughly five to six students and cosmetology had three to four on a wait list; exact counts were described as approximate. In response to board questions, presenters said some staffing and scheduling changes and counseling coordination reduce the number of students turned away, but wait lists still occur in higher-demand programs.
The presentation also described community-engagement projects — students rewired a mobile lighting unit for a local police department and welding students are fabricating a plaque for Shenandoah National Park — and recognized recent volunteers, including Alan Griffith, a 2024 graduate who returned to volunteer as a shop assistant.
On future growth, staff distributed a student-interest survey of grades 6–11 and said it will guide exploration of new programs. They are considering a mobile CTE unit (a “CTE bus” to bring demonstrations to elementary and community sites) and hope eventually to colocate classroom and welding shop space. Presenters said they are discussing capital requests and CIP planning with central office staff.
Board members asked whether military recruiters had been engaged; staff replied recruiters typically visit in February–March and that includes service branches who speak with electricity, welding and auto tech cohorts. The presenters said they would follow up to strengthen that outreach.
The presentation closed with board and public praise for the technical center’s work and its role in local workforce development.
