About Southwest Tech

The Southwest VT Regional Technical School District is committed to career and lifelong learning to prepare secondary and post-secondary students for career and lifelong learning in a rapidly changing world. Southwest Tech is located in Historic Bennington, Vermont. It serves high school and adult students from the southwestern region of Vermont and adjacent New York and Massachusetts. We serve high school students from Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Glastenbury, Manchester, North Bennington, Pownal, Readsboro, Sandgate, Searsburg, Shaftsbury, Sunderland, Twin Valley, and Woodford. We currently offer 20 technical programs and related classes that occupy our state-of-the-art facility by day. Various adult education offerings are available in the afternoons, evenings, and online. Adults are welcome to apply for daytime technical programs. A Vermont resident adult without a high school diploma is a secondary student eligible for tuition their local school district/town pays. Adults with high school diplomas will be charged tuition. Financial aid may be available. Contact the Adult Education Office at 447-3596.

WHAT IS A REGIONAL TECHNICAL CENTER?

In the past, people thought of vocational education as a pathway for people who would enter a narrowly defined workforce directly after high school graduation. Today, technical education is so much more. As our economy and communities grow increasingly complex, the need for our students to have diverse, rich educational experiences is increasing. Technical education is uniquely prepared to give students this richness by connecting them with state-of-the-art resources and experts from various fields.

In Vermont, technical education is provided by sixteen regional technical centers. While these schools are most often adjoined to an academic high school, they offer different educational services to a broader constituency. Students generally enroll in technical programs as juniors or seniors. Through the technical program and associated courses, students continue to earn credits towards graduation from their sending high school as they expand their educational experience.

Students choose to enroll in technical programs because of the opportunities they provide. Students are engaged in their studies because they learn about exciting fields. They know about and use up-to-date equipment and technologies. They connect to the industries and careers that interest them both through working with knowledgeable teachers and by making direct connections to companies through job shadows as work-based learning with regional employers.

In technical education, students learn by doing. They develop and work through projects, gathering related theoretical understanding and academic skills. They see the skills they are developing as critical to the success of their endeavors; thus, their investment in learning is increased. Further, in modern technical education, there is great emphasis placed on acquiring transferable skills, as our students will go on to various continuing education and career experiences.

Technical education, at its best, teaches success, encourages lifelong learning, and provides opportunities to go beyond one's academic training.

We believe that:

• Every individual has a need for and a right to career education.

• Each student has unique talents, interests, and needs.

• Learning must be active and experiential, project-based, and integration of academic with vocational/technical skills.

• The curriculum must be flexible and must encourage each person to develop to their fullest capacity.

• We are partners with the community in developing informed, responsible, and participating members of society.

• Education includes the development of cultural, social, moral, and ethical standards.

• Our instructional role is to facilitate exploring career areas, developing skills useful in life and careers, self-directedness, and reflecting on experiences.

• The school atmosphere must be safe, positive, and respectful.

• Continuous evaluation of programs and performance provides students with the highest quality education and training results.