Admissions Open at SRTC
- February 7th 2025
- School News
The Sanford Regional Technical Center Administrative Office
Photo: Andrew Morin
By Andrew Morin, Sanford High School Senior
The admissions process for the 25 programs offered by the Sanford Regional Technical Center (SRTC) is currently underway. These programs offer students a chance to develop lifelong professional skills that will help them in their adult and professional future. The SRTC offers its programs to students from eight partner high schools in York County: Kennebunk, Marshwood, Massabesic, Noble, Sanford, Traip Academy, Wells, and York. Most students begin a program during their junior year and continue through graduation in their senior year. It’s sometimes possible for a student to begin as a senior.
Programs in the technical center can range from popular trades, like automotive engineering, welding, precision manufacturing and plumbing to more specialized fields, like cosmetology, culinary arts, and firefighting. Students enrolled in the SRTC programs are expected to spend half of their school day focused on their chosen discipline.
With a capacity for a total of 800 juniors and seniors, the admissions process for SRTC programs is a competitive one. Each year there are more applications than spaces available. Students wishing to enroll in the programs are reviewed based on certain criteria to determine if they would be a good fit. In the words of Student Services Counselor Deanna Farrell, “Our admissions process begins with students who are interested in a career-technical education and choose to apply. Along with the application, we review transcripts, attendance records and information from their partner school related to applicant’s responsibility and effort; citizenship; graduation preparedness as well as academic and applied learning strengths.” In the next phase of the process, students are offered the opportunity to interview with the instructor of their chosen program, giving them another opportunity to present themselves and their skills. Students who meet the requirements and are willing to put in the effort to be admitted into the programs, are usually rewarded for their hard work, as 75% of those who are interviewed are admitted into the programs.
Instructors for the programs are typically professionals in the industry or profession that they teach. They are often not formally trained teachers when they come to SRTC. According to SRTC Director Matthew Petermann, “once they’re hired, they begin the certification process, and we help them develop into teachers that can inspire students in their specific trade and get them excited about a career in their industry.”
Students who have graduated from SRTC programs in past years have seen great success towards their future development. About 55% of graduates have enrolled in higher education like college or certificate programs. Furthermore, 7% are in formal apprenticeships, 3% in the military and 20% have already joined the workforce in their technical field. This success seen in recent graduates can be attributed to real life technical skills gained through the program, which will help them in their future. For this reason, over 90% of graduates said that they were either “sure” or “very sure” of their future plans.
According to Ms. Farrell, “We feel a lot of good momentum out there in the community about the value of a career technical education, where students learn by doing and leave high school with specific skills related to their post-secondary plans. We want to expand that mindset while continuing to reduce stigmas. More importantly, we connect students who would be a good fit to opportunities at our school as it truly can be life changing.” Further expansion of the programs is planned in the future to open programs that will have student interest and lead to good career opportunities.
Admission applications for the 2025-2026 SRTC programs are open from January 13 to February 28. Students must apply within this time period to be considered. Additionally, more information on the SRTC programs, and anything to do with Sanford High School, is available at https://www.sanford.org/o/sanford-high-school
