The 916 is a metro area high school located at Century College that teaches students real world training for work after high school. Jill Stewart-Keller is the principal of the school and counselor Jeremy Baldwin is Stillwater Area High School’s direct contact for this program. The school offers 22 unique programs to better prepare students for life after high school by giving them a competitive advantage and provides students with hands-on training.

Baldwin can provide information about the school if students are interested in attending. “These are essentially programs that students can start getting training for in real world careers before they’re even out of high school, and then they continue on if they’d like following High School ranging anywhere from medical careers to auto dismantling all sorts of things,” Baldwin said. 

916 provides countless intriguing opportunities to students who want a career in a wide range of fields from dental occupations to diesel technicians.

“They actually have like mannequins with like mouths, the whole thing. So you actually get to like do hands on stuff with that so that’s one of them. And other one is diesel technician were starting to work on diesel engines and their auto lab,” Baldwin added.

This program is unique in that it has various options to choose from. The program construction occupation has built a house every year since 1999. One of Keller’s previous students bought one of the 24 homes that they have built in the metro area. In diesel mechanics the students are awarded a certification in the field, these students earn a competitive advantage going into the workforce because SAHS simply cannot afford to offer a diesel mechanics course. Most students are not aware of the opportunities and recognition this school has to offer. The 916 offers $40,000 in scholarship money to students who want to attend a traditional four year college.

Keller or “Principal Jill” elaborated on the competitive advantage, “Early college credits in high school, industry certifications that makes students immediately more employable, also at higher rates of pay and professional skills that helps students again, get jobs and prepares them for the world of work. And then of course, one of my favorite things is that students can discover what they don’t like.”

Awareness is a large factor as to why more students do not choose this program. “Often they haven’t heard about it, we really depend a lot on word of mouth. And it’s sometimes the registration process is is not always easy to navigate. I think the reason that they might not choose it is mostly because they don’t know about it,” Keller added. 

If students knew about the scholarships and real world training more students would join and get these benefits that SAHS doesn’t offer. There are over 850 students across 13 school districts that are getting post secondary credits in high school with real world training.

916 Metro Career & Technical Center provides students with real world training that is valuable in various fields from an EMT to a dental technician. Students receive college credit industry certification and can even be awarded with scholarships. Students earn a competitive advantage for entering the workforce or post-secondary education.