Opportunities at KTEC

Opportunities+at+KTEC

Annaliese Naas, Opinions Writer

Many students at Lakeland go to KTEC to further their education in certain fields such as welding, plumbing, HVAC, and many more. 

Kim Suko, a counselor here at Lakeland Highschool said “About 25% of our 11th and 12th-grade students attend the KTEC program.”  Suko said that she is unsure on the data of enrollment, but it tends to stay the same.

Suko said many of the students would tell you that they attend KTEC for the opportunity to learn a skill and earn certifications that will help prepare them for their future.  “Most students stay at KTEC for two years so they can fully benefit from the program and earn any available certifications or college credits,” Suko said. 

KTEC offers a free opportunity for students to explore a career interest area or learn a skill that they might use in the future. Most KTEC programs offer certifications or college credits so that a student is better prepared to enter that career field or to continue their technical education after high school. 

Wyatt Aramburu, a junior here at Lakeland Highschool was enrolled in the KTEC program but had dropped out of it, “It was mostly because I missed high school, but there were other issues, I didn’t like the professor’s teaching style” he said.

Aramburu was promised to do construction, but was unable to do it, since the professor had no plans for it. “I figured I could learn more at home, than I could at KTEC,” he said.

 “Being able to wear hats, also just working with my hands, and the people were kinda chill,” Aramburu said about what he missed about the program. 

Aramburu wanted to be an electrician after high school, but may switch it around a little bit before deciding, but has a good program to help him through learning.

Wyatt Burlingame, a senior at Lakeland is currently enrolled in KTEC. Burlingame chose KTEC because of the more hands-on learner approach KTEC has. “I take the computer repair and networking course, I can get an A+ certification with this class and I’m gonna get a Computer Science degree, and it can lead to future careers,” Burlingame said.