By Carson LeCroy
Hamilton Career and Technology Center
The Hamilton Career and Technology Center, located in Oconee County, strives to live up to it’s slogan, “Discovering Passion, Finding Purpose.” We serve the high school students in the School District of Oconee County and have 1027 students enrolled this school year. The students spend half of their day on our campus, taking one of our 24 different course offerings that prepare students for many different types of business and industry. Our courses also pave the way for students to continue their education at Tri-County Technical College or another post-secondary institution. Our tremendous faculty, composed of traditionally trained educators and teachers coming from actual industry, work hard to provide students with authentic learning opportunities to prepare them for the workforce or post-secondary education.
Our goal is to have every student that completes one of our programs to be a “college or career ready” student and have work based experience or an industry-recognized credential in their pocket when they graduate. A career-ready “completer” is a student who completes a course of study worth six credits or more. That is over 700 hours of classroom time learning technical and career based skills that will directly impact a bountiful workforce in Oconee County and the Upsate!
Another proud program at the Hamilton Career and Technology Center is our Transition Program. Our Transition Program serves students that receive specialized education and teaches them life skills and career skills, in order to live a fulfilling, independent life. These students run a school based restaurant, The Considerate Cafe. The restaurant is open to the public on Fridays from 11-1:00, and the students operate every facet of the restaurant, including serving up favorites like meat and three or barbacoa tacos.
The following is a list of courses offered at HCTC:
- Building Construction
- Architectural Design
- Mechanical Design
- Graphic Communications
- Marketing Communications
- Marketing Management
- Early Childhood Education
- Emergency Medical Services
- Health Science
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- PLTW Biomedical Sciences
- Sports Medicine
- Culinary Arts
- Cosmetology
- Computer Programming
- AP Computer Science
- Law Enforcement
- Machine Tool Technology
- Welding Technology
- PLTW Pre-Engineering
- Auto Collision Repair Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Employability Education Courses
- Independent Living Skills
This is the Hamilton Career and Technology Center’s second year at our new campus on Highway 11 in Westminster. The state of the art facility includes a one-of-a-kind paint booth in auto collision, over 20 CNC tooling machines, and a replica hospital wing for nursing students, just to name a few. One new and unique opportunity at the Hamilton Career and Technology Center is the upcoming Emergency Communications course. The Hamilton Career and Technology Center has partnered with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office to create a fully functional 911/dispatch room that will serve as the Sheriff’s Office official backup. Our law enforcement instructor will teach a course that will end in a Certification test for students to pursue a career in dispatch after graduation if they wish. The Hamilton Career and Technology Center is thankful to partner with the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the many other businesses that provide equipment, shadowing, and work-based learning opportunities for our students. Want to get involved and learn more information about taking on a “work-based learner” at your business? Please reach out to us!
Hamilton Career and Technology Center
4454 Oconee Business Parkway
Westminster, SC 29693
864-886-4425
Website: hctc.sdoc.org
Instagram and Twitter: @HCTCoconee
Facebook: Hamilton Career and Technology Center