Chris Kowalski only spends half his day at Pattonville, but he’s not skipping class, he’s heading to North Tech where he is participating in the Firefighting/EMT program.

Pattonville and North Tech work together to offer a program that allows students to attend North Tech, a technical high school, for half a day and then attend Pattonville for the other half. This is great for students who are interested in technical careers and wish to receive training while still in high school.

“North Tech is great because it let me get a start on the career of firefighting,” Kolwalski said. “It also taught me things such as time management and responsibility and gave me certifications earlier than I could have. I would totally recommend North Tech to other students.”

North Tech offers many programs with certified teachers that used to work in those fields. Some of the available programs include culinary, cosmetology, firefighting/EMT, electrical, diesel, automotive, and many more.

Senior Samyra Sanders is enrolled in the nursing program at North Tech in the afternoon.

“They have good opportunities to do hands-on training to pursue jobs in the real word,” Sanders said. “It also allowed me to meet other people that are interested in the same career field as me. My program helped me become more mature and study more.”

For students who wish to work in these fields and want to get a jump-start right out of high school, this may be ideal for them. Completion of programs reward necessary certifications that are required to work in these career fields.

Getting into the program isn’t hard, and students are encouraged to speak with their counselor to see if it will fit in their schedule. After applying to North Tech and a short interview, students can be accepted into the program.