Enrollment and Program Visits

STEP 1:

Experience KCTC! Prospective students are encouraged to attend a tour of KCTC or career pathway visit to identify a program of interest. Students should contact their school counselor to schedule a tour or visit in the Online Enrollment Portal  *only school staff have access to the OE Portal. 

STEP 2:

Once a program is identified, the student should contact their sending school counselor to submit an enrollment request in the OE online portal.  *enrollment requests are not a guarantee of placement

HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS:

Students and parents should contact the KCTC Career Development Department at 616-447-2433 to schedule a tour or visit. After selecting a program, a parent or guardian should contact the registrar to submit an enrollment request: 616-364-8421, Option #2, then Option #4. *only students are permitted on tours/visits

*Criminal Justice Program: please see special enrollment/application requirements on the Criminal Justice Program page.

Additional Information:

• Information needed for enrollment requests: First and Last Name, Date of Birth, UIC, ELL/Special Ed/504 status if applicable, First and Last Name of Parent/Guardian, Contact Information, and GPA. 
• Student must be at least 16 years old by December 1st of the school year in which they enroll. 
• Students should be on track to graduate on time.
• All two-year programs must be completed consecutively.
• Students cannot attend a program for more than two years.
• Once the enrollment window closes, students and parents will be notified of their acceptance or enrollment status via mail.
• Enrollment requests are accepted, beginning February 10, 2024.
• Students who have attended one or more experiences at KCTC may be given priority, but they are not guaranteed placement.

Students returning to KCTC for a second year are allowed early enrollment beginning the last two weeks of January and are invited to complete the following steps for enrollment requests:

• Login to the parent/student PowerSchool account.
• Select a program and session for the upcoming school year -OR-
• If undecided, select "UNDECIDED" in the parent/student PowerSchool account.  KCTC counselors or career development staff will be notified to assist the student in exploring KCTC programs -OR-
• If not returning to KCTC, select "NOT RETURNING" in the student/parent PowerSchool account.

*returning KCTC students will be given priority, but not guarantee of placement. Currently enrolled students must maintain good standing in attendance and academics, with failure to do so resulting in placement loss. 

Career Focus Program 

STEP 1

Students interested in the Career Focus Exploration Program are encouraged to attend a Career Focus and Intro to CTE visit.  Before scheduling a visit, a school staff member familiar with the student must complete the Prerequisite Skills Inventory Form. This form provides a snapshot of skill level and can be found on the Online Portal (OE). 

STEP 2

Once the Skills Inventory Form has been successfully submitted, school staff are invited to schedule the student for the Career Focus visit in the Online Enrollment Portal (OE).  *Staff should plan to attend the visit with the student

STEP 3

If the Pre-Vocational Exploration Program is a good fit for the student, sending school staff should submit an enrollment request in the OE portal during open enrollment. *Enrollment requests are not a guarantee of placement 

INTRO to CTE Program

STEP 1

Experience the KCTC Intro to CTE Program! Prospective students are encouraged to attend a Career Focus and Intro to CTE visit.  Students should contact their teacher or appropriate staff member to schedule a visit in the Online Enrollment Portal (OE) *Staff should plan to attend the visit with the student

STEP 2

If the Intro to CTE Program is a good fit for the student, school staff should submit an enrollment request in the OE portal during open enrollment. *Enrollment requests are not a guarantee of placement

CORE Program

STEP 1

Experience CORE at Mary Free Bed YMCA! For students interested in the CORE Program (Career Orientation and Readiness Education) it is required a school representative familiar with the student complete the Pre-Requisite Skills Inventory Form. This form provides a snapshot of skill level and assists in determining whether or not the student is prepared for placement/success in a community work environment. This form can be found in the Online Portal (OE).

STEP 2

Within one to three days of receiving the student's completed pre-requisite skills inventory form, if it is determined the student might be a good fit for the CORE Program, KCTC career development staff will email the school representative to schedule a visit at CORE Mary Free Bed YMCA. 

STEP 3

Following the prospective student's CORE visit, career development staff will email the school representative within one to three days with next steps.  If it is determined the student is a good fit/likely to be successful in for the CORE Program, they will be invited to submit an enrollment request in the Online Enrollment Portal (OE). 

Tours

For students new to the Kent Career Tech Center, or who are undecided on which program to select, a two-hour building tour offers the opportunity to explore the nearly 30 programs and state-of-the-art technology that KCTC has to offer. Tours are available Tuesdays and Thursdays in September and October and can be scheduled by counselors using the Online Enrollment (OE) Portal. *tours are for students only

Career Pathway Visits

Students seeking an in-depth KCTC experience may be interested in a career pathway-focused visit. KCTC's 30 programs are part of six career pathways identified by the State of Michigan:

• Arts & Communication
• Business/Management/Marketing & Technology
• Engineering, Manufacturing and & Industrial Technology
• Health Services
• Human Services
• Natural Resources & Agriscience

Career pathway visits are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from November through February.  Once the prospective student has selected a career pathway, the visit can be scheduled by contacting their school counselor to schedule in the Online Enrollment Portal.

KCTC Open House

Students, parents, and community members are welcome to explore the KCTC campus during the annual Open House, February 7 & 8, from 5-7pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover what the Tech Center has to offer. 

• Tour classrooms & interactive labs
• Meet instructors and current students
• Find out how to earn free high school, college and technical school credits, plus industry-recognized certifications.

Pre-Vocational Exploration & Intro to CTE Visits

Pre-vocational Exploration & Intro to CTE (Career & Technical Education) tours consist of a overview of KCTC, a demonstration of our three Intro to CTE level courses and a tour of classrooms. This tour is for students that may need more clarification on career pathways or may need a less rigorous CTE-level program. Tours are for students and a staff member from their local school district. These tours are available on most Wednesdays, from October 6 through March 27. Tours can be scheduled by counselors in the Online Enrollment Portal.

*Homeschool parents should contact the Career Navigation Department at careernavigation@kentisd.org  to schedule a tour or pathway visit.

Student Placement & Program Guide

• KCTC Continuum of Programming Guide

How to Schedule in the Online Enrollment Portal (OE)

• Online Enrollment (OE) Portal
• Navigating OE guide

School Enrollment Form (for internal planning use only)

• School Enrollment Form

Additional Information

• Information needed for enrollment requests: First and Last Name, Date of Birth, UIC, ELL/Special Ed/504 status if applicable, First and Last Name of Parent/Guardian, Contact Information, and GPA. 
• Student must be at least 16 years old by December 1st of the school year in which they enroll. 
• Students should be on track to graduate on time.
• All two-year programs must be completed consecutively.
• Students cannot attend a program for more than two years.
• Once the enrollment window closes, students and parents will be notified of their acceptance or enrollment status via mail.
• Enrollment requests are accepted beginning February 10, 2024.
• Students who have attended one or more experiences at KCTC may be given priority, but they are not guaranteed placement.

When is the open enrollment period?

Open enrollment begins in mid-February through mid-March. Phase 2 enrollment opens in May and concludes in June.  The final phase of enrollment starts in July and ends the second week of school. 

Is there a limit to the number of students a school can enroll?

No, there is no limit to the amount of enrollment requests a school can make, however, there is no guarantee that all enrollment requests will be fulfilled. 

If a student visits a program, will they be given priority placement?

KCTC does give greater consideration to students who have completed a tour and/or career pathway visit during open enrollment.  While other factors are also considered (equitable distribution of seats between sending schools), we strongly encourage students to visit KCTC to be certain the program is a good fit.

What happens if a student doesn't get into the program of their first choice?

The student may be placed into a second or third choice program. Students will automatically be placed on the waitlist for their first-choice program and session. They may also request to be put on as many other program waitlists as they desire.  As seats become available, the register will contact LEA counselors to see if students on the waitlist are still interested in the program. 

What if the student doesn't get into Kent Career Tech Center at all?

As the counselor, you have the ability to adjust enrollment during the swapping period (a 10-day period in April), otherwise, the student is placed on a waitlist and if a seat becomes available, we will contact you to see if the student is still interested.  Students who don't get enrolled in Phase 1 enrollment are placed on a waitlist and will be notified if and when there is an opening in the course of their choice. 

What are the class sizes?

Most classes at Kent Career Tech Center can accommodate 25 students per instructor, however, based on lab space, some programs cap their class sizes at 20 per instructor. 

What happens after a student is enrolled at Kent Career Tech Center? How will we be notified?

For current students returning to Kent Career Tech Center, counselors will be notified of whether a student would like to return and for what session.  In mid-April counselors will be notified of new students who are enrolled as well as those who are placed on the waitlist.  As seats become available, students on the waitlist are placed into programs and you will be notified by the registrar.  If a student enrolls during Phase 2 of enrollment, based on open seats, the enrollment will be confirmed via email.  All LEAs will have continuous access to a Google Sheet with their school's enrollment.  Parents and students will receive a letter via mail in mid-May, confirming if the student has successfully been enrolled to KCTC.  If accepted, they will receive a second letter via mail in July, confirming details such as instructor, start dates, classroom number, and more.  

Is there a student orientation?

In early August, Kent Career Tech Center invites both students and parents to attend a New Student Welcome Day.  Students and parents are strongly encouraged to attend to learn more about the parent/student PowerSchool portal, attendance policies, navigating the KCTC campus, and more. 

Are students able to enroll in Kent Career Tech Center at the semester?

At this time, we only enroll students at the beginning of the year, unless a student is transferring from another tech center.