The week of December 1st, the sophomore class had the chance to visit Saline High School to get exposed to the SWWC programs. The Southwest Washtenaw Consortium program (SWWC) is a program that brings other schools together and allows students to practice specific skills you can’t get in your traditional learning setting. As students visit other schools, the program prepares them for jobs right out of high school, including welding, a CNA (certified nurse assistant), a CPTA (certified physical therapy aid), and more.
“So consortium, what it does is it allows students from other districts to come here, or our students to go there,” technology teacher Duane Moss said.
The consortium program not only prepares students in their current everyday life, but in the future. Consortium teachers express their future goals for students in these programs.
“We want students to have a plan when they cross that stage, and we want them to be skilled, and that’s why we concentrate on our technical skills in each one of our programs,” Moss said.
Every consortium program gives a student a special skill that makes them different from a traditional learner. These skills will help prepare them for the real world while some consortium programs even give students a job right out of high school.
“Mrs. Welt teaches students about Health Science in her program. You leave with a certification. You’re a CNA, which is a certified nurse’s assistant. You walk out of her program, and you’ll get hired. You’ll have a job immediately,” Moss said.
Not only do teachers notice the impact of the consortium program, but students do too. Students regularly say they feel more prepared for the real world after taking these classes. By the end of the year students have the experience and gained skills needed in the real world.
“I just learned a lot of basic skills, like patient interactions, in terms of how to interact with patients and how to interact with people in a way that’s respectful and professional but still has empathy,” Senior Karlie VanRemortel said.
Consortium programs give students an opportunity to think about what they want to do in the future. It also can be an eye opening experience for some. These programs build character and give students a sneak peak into the real world.
“I would say that it taught me a lot of responsibility, because you are literally responsible for the health and safety of a person who isn’t able to care for themselves,” VanRemortel said. “I think that the responsibility aspect is going to carry out into the real world. It’s not only my future career, but just learning responsibility in general.”
Many students in the consortium programs say that these SWWC programs are beneficial. It opens them up to new experiences and gives them an opportunity to see what they like and don’t like. Sometimes it even leads them into their future career.
“I did like the CNA stuff in health science, and I ended up liking working with people more than I thought I would. So I’m now thinking more of being a nurse in the future,” VanRemortel said.
