By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
NCK Tech has increased its partnerships with secondary schools to offer concurrent and career technical education credit and school officials say that is part of the reason the college hit a five-year enrollment high this fall.
The school has also increased its online offerings.
SEE RELATED STORY: FHSU enrollment down by 8%; NCK Tech enrollment at five-year high
NCK Tech's headcount was up 12.8 percent compared to fall 2021 for a five-year high of 999 students.
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"All of our programs are in high demand right now. Business and industry are hungry for students with technical skills, so, therefore, students are attracted to the programs that are high-wage, high-demand," college officials said in an email to Hays Post on Friday.
NCK Tech is ranked first in the state of Kansas among all technical and community colleges in three-year graduation rates.
Although headcount has increased significantly at NCK Tech in recent years, full-time enrollment has grown at a slower pace — 2.7 percent compared to last year.
"Yes, we do have more students taking part-time loads in a few programs," college officials said. "Also as part of our strategic plan, NCK Tech is being intentional on trying to provide greater access for students by expanding the flexibility and alternative educational opportunities."
Officials said they see strong demand for technical education.
"There are tremendous opportunities in technical education that allow students to access the workforce quickly and still have excellent wages," officials said. "In addition, there are also a lot of opportunities for students to start at a technical college and continue on to a four-year degree. NCK Tech believes students and families are finding value in this approach."
NCK Tech has launched two new programs this fall that are also bringing more students to the college, which has campuses in Beloit and Hays.
The college has added a telecommunications and network technology program on the Hays campus as well as an associate's degree in nursing on the Beloit campus. Many of the college's other programs are at capacity or close to capacity, so officials said they are seeking ways to expand those physical areas to increase their enrollment capacity.
NCK Tech officials said they think the need for students with technical skills is not going away anytime soon.
"We project our enrollment to continue to increase, not only from continuing to add secondary partners but also continuing to see what the workforce needs in our communities are and helping to fill these needs with qualified students."
This growth comes with challenges.
"Currently, our main challenge is physical capacity space on campus," officials said. "We have programs that have outgrown their buildings and classrooms, and we are needing to find ways to expand our facilities. We are also working on being more creative in scheduling and utilizing our spaces on campus to the best of our ability."