Growth Report 1: Trumbull Tech Center Expands Enrollment With Younger Students

WARREN, Ohio – Four grade levels will attend Trumbull Career and Technical Center next fall, the result of the Early Innovators Academy.

In the fall of 2022, TCTC opened its doors to 50 ninth-grade students through the program, which exposes students at a younger age to various career fields through project-based exploration. By collaborating with TCTC’s 25 career tech programs, students can make an earlier, more informed decision about their futures.

In the fall of 2023, the Early Innovators Academy will have 100 students as the TCTC continues to grow. Interest in career tech is thriving with applications for TCTC programs in 2023 already exceeding last year’s applicants well before the August 2023 deadline.

With support at the state level in recognition of industry credentials, TCTC continues to invest in its facilities and programs. The Culinary Arts Academy has generated the highest number of sophomore visitors at career exploration days and TCTC has begun remodeling the outdated kitchen, as well as increasing teaching space and enrollment capacity.

Likewise in 2023, an equestrian studies building is being constructed, replacing an old building previously adapted for the program’s use.

COVID transformed TCTC, which continues to follow a blended learning model, including an online professional learning course. Students earn a half credit learning the skills sought by employers, post-secondary schools and the military.

TCTC also has collaborated with local organizations to increase the number of juniors and seniors obtaining work-based learning experiences in their career fields. While only 9% of 2020 completion students reached the goal of 250 work-based learning hours, the number grew to 16% in 2021 and nearly 25% in 2022.

The TCTC received several awards and recognitions in 2022:

• The 2022 Gene Bottoms Pacesetter School Award from the Southern Regional Education Board. It honored the TCTC for increasing post-secondary enrollments and student attainment of industry credentials and college credits.
• Jill Woods, TCTC dental assisting instructor, was named Ohio ACTE’s Outstanding New CTE Teacher.
• TCTC was one of 25 schools to receive a $200,000 “Reaching All Students Through Language and Literacy” grant from the Ohio Department of Education. It will be used to build literacy skills for students and the community.
• TCTC was recognized for a third time as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2022-2025 school years.

Pictured at top: Brynley Kitzmiller and Olivia Berry, students in the Early Innovators Academy, completed the AFJROTC Leadership and Drone Discovery course. In collaboration with the Civil Air Patrol, they recently had the opportunity to fly an aircraft.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.