“Our open house is truly just that; every person who attends can walk into any of our state-of-the-art labs and industry-grade workshops to see and feel what their education will be like at WCTC.” -- John McGreal, WCTC dean of Enrollment Services
PEWAUKEE, Wis. (Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024) – For the first time since 2020, Waukesha County Technical College has experienced record-breaking attendance -- in the number of potential students to visit the campus -- at an open house last week.
More than 685 potential students, along with another 680-plus guests, immersed themselves in WCTC’s vibrant community. Attendees were able to learn about the College’s many innovative programs; talk with faculty, staff and current students; connect with a variety of resource experts; check out campus facilities; participate in hands-on experiences and much more.
Open house visitors also had the chance to view some of the College’s newest spaces, including the Applied AI Lab (which opened at the start of this semester as a first-of-its kind space to serve as a hub for artificial intelligence for students, entrepreneurs and businesspeople alike) coupled with learning more about WCTC’s AI associate degree – the first named two-year AI degree in the state.
“Our open house is truly just that; every person who attends can walk into any of our state-of-the-art labs and industry-grade workshops to see and feel what their education will be like at WCTC,” said John McGreal, WCTC dean of Enrollment Services. “It truly is a comprehensive experience that they can tailor to include campus tours, presentations, mystery games and, most importantly, authentic, one-on-one conversations that lead them to see their future starts at WCTC.”
While WCTC welcomes students of all ages, about 40 percent of current students are considered nontraditional age – 25 or older. The path to education for these students may have been postponed or interrupted for any number of reasons, among them full-time work, caregiving responsibilities or a change in career.
In recent years, however, younger, high-school age students have been making WCTC their post-secondary educational institution of choice, thanks to time- and money-saving dual enrollment options. These include the popular Dual Enrollment Academy, Excelerate, Start College Now and transcripted credit. Additionally, there has been increased interest in the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science programs (liberal arts transfer) that began in spring 2023.
Of the potential student attendees who participated in the recent open house, a whopping 58 % were age 18 or younger.
“Students of all ages are seeing the value of a WCTC education more than ever before,” McGreal said. “Whether they are starting with us in our liberal arts transfer programs to save money or they are craving a hands-on education that leads quickly to the jobs they are pursuing, students all across southeastern Wisconsin are coming to WCTC because they want an education that is anything but average -- that’s what we offer.”
To learn more about WCTC and its numerous programs, visit www.wctc.edu.