Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) is a system of 16 public
technical colleges administered by the state of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. The system offers more than 500 programs, awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, and short-term technical diplomas and certificates. It also provides training and technical assistance to Wisconsin's business and industry community. Over 370,000 individuals accessed the technical colleges for education and training in the 2010-11 school year.
History
The
Wisconsin Legislature passed laws in 1911 requiring cities with a population of 5,000 people or more to set up trade schools and school boards to administer them. The schools had four purposes: to provide continuing education of boys and girls 14-16 who had quit high school, trade school, adult evening education, and related instruction for apprentices.
Wisconsin became the first state to establish a system of state support for vocational, technical, and adult education schools.
In 1911 the Wisconsin apprenticeship Law was passed; employers were required to release apprentices to the trade schools if one was available and to pay regular hourly wages for time spent at school.
[Chapter 601.1 Laws of Wisconsin, 1911]
Both of these bills resulted from the work of
Charles McCarthy, the first director of the present-day state Legislative Reference Bureau.
The
Smith-Hughes Act, passed by the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
in 1917, was modeled after Wisconsin's initiative.
In 1961, the school boards were authorized to offer
associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...
for two-year technical courses. In 1965, the state legislature required a system of vocational, technical, and adult education districts to cover the entire state by 1970. Following this, enrollments in the WTCS doubled from 1967 to 1982.
There were significant increases in the number of associate degree programs in the 1970s. Schools were also required to improve cooperation and coordination with the
University of Wisconsin System.
In 1993, the state board was designated as the Technical College System Board, and the colleges became referred to as "Technical Colleges".
List of member colleges
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Blackhawk Technical College
*
Chippewa Valley Technical College Chippewa Valley Technical College is one of the 16 technical and community colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System, centered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It serves an 11-county area, with its largest campus in Eau Claire (actually home to t ...
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Fox Valley Technical College
*
Gateway Technical College
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Lakeshore Technical College
*
Madison Area Technical College
Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) is a public technical and community college based in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves students in parts of 12 counties in south-central Wisconsin: Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, J ...
*
Mid-State Technical College
*
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a public two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. ...
*
Moraine Park Technical College
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Nicolet Area Technical College
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Northcentral Technical College
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Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
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Northwood Technical College (formerly Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College)
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Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
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Waukesha County Technical College
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Western Technical College (formerly Western Wisconsin Technical College)
See also
*
University of Wisconsin Colleges, system administering two year colleges in Wisconsin
*
University of Wisconsin System, system administering four year colleges in Wisconsin
References
Further reading
* Paris, Kathleen A. ''A political history of vocational, technical and adult education in Wisconsin''. Madison: Wisconsin Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education, 1985.
External links
Wisconsin Technical College System official website
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