LAHARPE — Even with more opportunities for Career and Technical Education programs across the area, the Regional Rural Technology Center in LaHarpe is holding its own.

Enrollment in most programs is similar to previous years, but may have dropped slightly in a couple of areas such as wind technology. Welding and automotive technology continue to be the most in-demand, even as surrounding communities add their own programs. 

For example, Neosho County Community College opened its Mitchell Career and Technology Center in 2022 and added an automotive technology program this year, which quickly reached capacity at 15 students. 

With the implementation of NCCC’s auto tech program, Chanute students are no longer taking advantage of LaHarpe’s, but some are still coming this way to attend other classes, such as wind technology.

“With the expanded programs at the Mitchell center, we anticipated that having an effect on our overall numbers,” USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager said. 

Even without the Chanute students, the RRTC’s automotive program, in cooperation with Flint Hills Technical College, continues to report high enrollment with 16 first-year students and 14 second-year students.  

TONY Leavitt, a USD 257 board member, reported on enrollment at the RRTC during Monday’s school board meeting. 

A total of 109 students from high schools in Iola, Moran, Humboldt, Colony/Crest, Uniontown, Chanute and Yates Center take classes at the LaHarpe program. Of those, 53 students come from Iola. Yates Center students began attending this year after facing low enrollment in some of its programs. 

Welding, in cooperation with NCCC, continues to draw the most students, with 26 first-year students and 16 second-year students.

Construction trades has eight first-year students and three returning students. Progress continues on a home remodel project in Iola.

This year, enrollment is down for a phlebotomy course, which teaches how to draw blood in a health-care laboratory setting. The program is taught by NCCC. About 19 students enrolled this year, a few students less than last year. But the instructors actually prefer that, Fager said. 

“It’s more manageable for them. Last year, they tried to accommodate all the requests but it was really full. It was taxing for instructors.”

Wind technology continues to have the fewest students, with just four first-year students and three returning for a second year. Those students come from all over the area: Marmaton Valley, Chanute, Humboldt, Yates Center and Iola. The class is taught by Cloud County Community College. 

“Cloud has done a lot of outreach, and you can see that with the number of districts represented,” Fager said. “It’s a hard sell because wind tech is academically demanding. You have to be pretty sharp. And there are so many choices available with other programs.”

STUDENTS IN this year’s automotive technology class jumped right into the action. A handful of first-year students on Thursday gathered around a truck engine, waiting for guidance from instructor Gary Preston. Three were juniors from Uniontown High School, and one is an IHS junior.