The vast majority of high school students enrolled at Butler Tech are juniors and seniors from Butler County’s 10 public school districts — and Northwest Schools in northern Hamilton County — who learn career skills at various Butler Tech campuses and satellite classrooms in their home district high schools.
But officials at the technical school system, which is one of the largest in Ohio, recently announced more programs are now available for sophomore enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year.
The move will nearly double the number of sophomores enrolled next school year to 275 new students.
“We’ve offered the 10th Grade Career Exploration Academy since 2018, and the interest has increased year after year with sophomores wanting an earlier entry point to Butler Tech,” said A.J. Huff, Butler Tech spokeswoman.
“By adding these new three-year pathways, we can reach more students than ever before, increasing our current sophomore population,” said Huff.
Besides the Career Exploration Academy openings, current 9th grade students, who apply now for sophomore classes starting in August, can join these career programs previously ineligible for 10th graders: Aviation; Engineering; Information Technology; Precision Machining and Welding.
In recent years Butler Tech has increasingly forged partnerships with local industries, businesses and health care providers with the goal of helping the region’s private sector meet growing demands for skilled, entry-level workers.
The career school enrolls about 18,000 high school and adult students.
Butler Tech Secondary Enrollment Specialist Tiffany Jones said creating more enrollment chances for sophomores is the latest move in that direction benefiting both employers and employees just beginning their post-high school graduation careers.
“This expansion in career technical education is a vital yet fundamental pillar in cultivating a robust and forward-thinking workforce in which students may thrive in their futures,” said Jones.
“The 10th Grade Career Exploration Academy empowers students to embark on their career tech journey at an earlier stage. Since the introduction in 2018, this program has sparked a notable surge in student interest, evidenced by the increased number of applications over the last few years at Butler Tech,” she said.
Huff said, “The 10th Grade Career Exploration Academy is exploration-focused so that students can move on to the two-year program of their choice in their junior and senior years.”
“The other new three-year programs allow students to jump directly into their career pathway as a sophomore — allowing for more time for personalized opportunities in the junior and senior years.”
Application deadline for all high school programs is Jan. 31 with more information available at Butler Tech’s website butlertech.org.
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