Student Benefits
There are many benefits to your son/daughter attending the Wilson Talent Center (WTC). First, we offer programs that are in high-demand, high-wage career fields. Secondly, by successfully completing these programs, your student has the opportunity to earn both high school academic credit and articulated college credit. Several of our programs also offer direct college credit or even an early college program through the Capital Region Technical Early College. These college credits are at no cost to the student, which can save families thousands of dollars in tuition expenses. Finally, WTC programs also offer the opportunity to earn state and national certifications. These can be very valuable when your son/daughter applies for a job. They often will start at a higher wage rate because of these certifications as it saves the employer the time and expense of training a new employee in certain areas. State certifications are good anywhere in the state of Michigan and national certifications are valid throughout the US, unless noted by a particular state.
The WTC also offers a scholarship program for graduating seniors, over the past few years, nearly $20,000 has been awarded annually. Individual instructors often are aware of additional scholarships that students may apply for within their career field, so encourage your son/daughter to ask their instructor. Scholarship applications will be posted to the WTC website in December and scholarships are awarded at the Wall-of-Fame/ Awards Dinner held in mid-March.
WTC programs all have advisory board members from organizations and businesses within that career field. They advise the instructors on curriculum, equipment needs and industry trends. These partnerships are very advantageous for your student as many of these employers offer paid or unpaid internships, job shadows or work-based learning opportunities for our students. Many of them end up hiring our students upon graduation and some even help them pay for their continued education.