As we get ready for a new school year, we are looking back at all of the great things that happened last year at the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center!
Click HERE or click on the image below to read student stories, learn more about how we have grown within the last year, and what we look forward to in the future!
February 7, 2024 Posted in: Higher Ed/Adult Ed
Multiple delays associated with the FAFSA Simplification have impacted the timeline of providing financial aid packages for LCCTC students and students throughout the United States.
Usually, the FAFSA is open for students and their families to fill out from October 1 and is open until June 30. This year, due to an overhaul of the FAFSA form and processes, the FAFSA did not open until December 30, 2023.
On January 30, 2024, The Department of Education (ED) announced a further delay. Schools will begin receiving results of students’ FAFSA information, “ISIRs,” when ED begins processing them during the first half of March. ED will process the ISIRs in a batch sequence and it may be a few weeks until all batches are completely processed. Financial Aid Offices can only provide financial aid packages with student ISIR information, and students and families can only amend their FAFSA once the ISIR information is released.
Understandably, this delay is frustrating for students and their families hoping to make decisions for their future. Our financial aid team is optimistic that once ISIRs are released to schools and schools have been able to test their systems, they will be able to begin processing financial aid packages. Until then, we are following the updates provided by the Department of Education.
The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center Financial Aid Office is here to answer questions about the FAFSA process. Still, please understand that we can only provide financial aid packages once we have student ISIR information.
January 24, 2024 Posted in: Awards & Recognition | Brownstown Campus | Higher Ed/Adult Ed | Mount Joy Campus | Willow Street Campus
Lancaster County Career & Technology Center has announced its Honor Roll for the second marking period of the 2023-24 school year.
Students named to the Honor Roll must maintain a grade of 90 or above.
Please click on the link below to view the list.
LCCTC 2023-2014 2nd Marking Period Honor Roll Students
Congratulations to all of our Honor Roll Students on a strong start to the academic year!
November 3, 2023 Posted in: Awards & Recognition | Brownstown Campus | Higher Ed/Adult Ed | Mount Joy Campus | Willow Street Campus
Lancaster County Career & Technology Center has announced its Honor Roll for the first marking period of the 2023-24 school year.
Students named to the Honor Roll must maintain a grade of 90 or above.
Please click on the link below to view the list.
LCCTC 2023-2014 1st Marking Period Honor Roll Students
Congratulations to all of our Honor Roll Students on a strong start to the academic year!
November 2, 2023 Posted in: Higher Ed/Adult Ed | Mount Joy Campus | Uncategorized
As the students filter into the Adult Welding Lab on Halloween, Welding Instructor & Program Coordinator, Don Tankelsey is sure to check in with every student, whether it is about a costume they wore to class, a change in hair color, or just asking how they are doing. With 36 students in total enrolled in short-term and long-term welding classes, it can get hectic, but Don is here for his students and to make sure they get to where they want to be in their future careers. As he rounds out his second year at the CTC, he says saying goodbye to his graduating classes in December will be tough, as he has mentored them and followed every step of their trajectory. However, he knows they are going on to successful careers. In fact, he mentions during his tenure that every student who has wanted a job following graduation has gotten one, a statistic he is proud of.
Don is an LCCTC graduate, graduating from the welding program at what was then known as the Willow Street Vo-Tech in 1981. That year, he took advantage of the cooperative education program and worked part-time at The Farfield Company in Lancaster, where he continued on for 30 more years. When Don came to Mount Joy in 2021, he brought nearly 40 years of welding experience to share with his students. Don feels his call to the CTC was to give back to his students what he learned from his instructors. Since his arrival, he has worked to improve the program and encouraged it’s growth. This change started with the welding lab, where every piece of equipment is up and running, and continued to the number of students, which has doubled in the past two years and continues to grow. Don also notes that now there are more female students enrolled in each of the welding classes, something that has been rare in a traditionally male-dominated field. He hopes this trend continues and more women seek to enter the trades.
Welding students at the CTC include those brushing up on their skills in short-term programs:
For long-term programs, students can enroll in Welding Technology and move on to Advanced Welding.
Not all students choose to take both long-term courses. Depending on the student’s goal, they can leave directly from the Welding Technology Welding course or hone their skills in more niche areas like specialty welding, sanitary pipe, structural steel, and more in Advanced Welding. Some students can even spend the end of their course on co-op, which allows them to work and earn wages in their field before finishing the program.
Carrie Cox, who is graduating from the Advanced Welding course in December, liked the program for the independence it allowed her; to learn at her own pace and start working hands-on right away. She decided to move on to the Advanced Welding course because she is looking for a position that requires more skill, and it felt like the natural next step. Don adds that Carrie is a phenomenal welder, and she will be a great asset wherever she chooses to go.
Charlie Frantz came to the CTC knowing he wanted to learn a trade, and the program fit well with his schedule. He has since moved from Basic Welding to Welding Technology and is planning to enroll in the advanced program in January. Charlie credits his interest and success in the program to his instructors. He says the care they put into teaching and mentoring is a great motivator.
Don notes that the students who enroll in the program at the CTC are highly motivated to either level up or start on the path to a new career in welding. If he can’t provide guidance, he can rely on his fellow instructors, Dick Bernhardt, Brian Naylor, and Andrew Huber. Don jokes that just with instructor Dick Bernhardt, they have over 100 years of welding experience. Don also worked with Naylor and Huber at Farfield, and Mr. Huber has field experience in Aerospace, Robotics, and underwater welding. This vast expanse of expertise gives students an idea of how their skills can be applied outside of the CTC and how they can land positions in the fields of their choice. Not only are the instructors helping with technical skills, but they are also imparting tips students can use in interviews, out on job sites, and more.
Regarding the Welding program’s future, Don has a few plans in the works. Along with increasing enrollment, he wants to add outdoor centers for the Advanced Welding students. One such center would include a pipe rack where students can cut, fit, and weld right in position to get a feel for what welding would be like in the field, where they may need to fit and weld into tight or awkward spaces while creating effective welds. Judging by Don’s work in just the past two years, we know that the program’s future is looking bright.
If you or a loved one is interested in enrolling in one of our short or long-term programs, new classes start in January! Visit our website to learn more or APPLY HERE.
August 16, 2023 Posted in: Health Sciences Campus | Higher Ed/Adult Ed | Student Stories
When Ashley Smith started the full-time Practical Nursing Program in January 2021, she was the mother of three kids, ages 1, 14, and 17. She was excited to continue her education to provide a better life for her family, and show her older kids the value of Higher Ed. One month into the program, her boyfriend, aged 31, had a heart attack in front of her. Juggling her family and her boyfriend’s recovery forced her to put her education on the back burner. With so much happening, she didn’t think to ask for a leave of absence. Without this step, the clinical hours she missed meant she couldn’t receive credit for her month of schooling. True to her character, Ashley didn’t give up.
Once her boyfriend recovered, Ashley returned to the LCCTC part-time Practical Nursing program to start over again. The part-time program holds classes in the evenings over 19 months, allowing students to work during the day. Ashley felt renewed and ready to put her education first. On the day of her first big test, she also took another test and found out she was pregnant. Instead of using this news as an opportunity to pause, Ashley was more prepared and motivated to finish and start a career that could benefit her family.
Clinical hours are critical to students’ success in the LPN program, and Ashley planned ahead for the birth. She saved up her time so that she would have a few days off and ended up giving birth to her daughter on Tuesday, March 22, and was back to school that Thursday. For many, this timeline would seem inconceivable, but Ashley was determined to finish.
Following the birth of her daughter, Ashley started experiencing troubling symptoms. She had high blood pressure, dizziness, and at one point experienced vision loss in one of her eyes. After three months of her symptoms intensifying (all the while she was diligently keeping up with her work and school) she ended up in the hospital. The symptoms were related to eclampsia, and her condition was dangerous. She was required to be on a magnesium drip. One of her nurses tried to convince her to drop out of school to focus on her health, warning Ashley she could die. Ashley’s response was “yea but I also could live. If I live it will all be worth it”. Ashley was literally dead-set on reaching her goal of graduating and provide a better life for her family.
After Ashley was released, her mother-in-law came to live with her family and assisted them in taking care of the kids, cooking meals, and most importantly, looking after Ashley’s health. “She would make me drink garlic water and take all of my supplements.” Having an extra adult there who could help made all the difference and allowed Ashley to focus solely on her goal. She says “I was all about persevering”.
Finally, on January 23, after two chaotic years, Ashley graduated from the LPN Program. She passed her boards on March 1 and is working two jobs. However, she is not quite finished with her education. In January 2024 she plans to go back to school for her RN degree through a bridge program offered by one of her employers. Her driving force remains to be an example for her kids, now 1,2, 16, and 19. We are sure they are, as anyone who hears Ashley’s story cannot help but be impressed and inspired by her tenacity against all the roadblocks she has encountered.
If you or a loved one is interested in furthering your career, or pivoting to the in-demand field of practical nursing, Visit our website to learn more.