Overview

A week or two into the school year, new students at Lake Area Technical Institute are working on cars, feeding livestock, pouring dental molds. Minimizing desk time and maximizing hands-on learning reflects the college’s dual mission: to teach students new skills and ways of thinking while linking that education to working-world realities. “We get into the lab just enough so that they’re curious, and then we can teach the theory,” says dental assisting instructor Rhonda Bradberry. “That’s so much more successful.”

Student Success As the Norm

Success is certainly the norm at LATI, where the graduation rate is among the highest anywhere, more than triple the national average. The college offers only technical degrees, and has a close relationship with local employers. Industry advisory boards, a staple of community colleges, are worked unusually hard at LATI; curriculum is adjusted regularly, and some programs bring in industry representatives every week to work with students. With proven programs and strong alignment to available jobs, LATI has local companies eager to hire its graduates, so the college has them help recruit students and donate equipment.

Even general education instructors create courses with a singular focus on building effective employees: a composition class that teaches paramedics to write field reports, math taught through the calculations that diesel technicians must perform daily, a speech class that helps physical therapists improve communications with patients.

"I'll Do Whatever It Takes"

Students choose a program when they apply, which immediately defines their graduation plan. They follow rigid, full-time schedules that leave little room to stray. Instructors see their students daily but still meet with them in formal conferences, making clear that student success is a joint responsibility. Says auto paint instructor Todd Bretschnieder, “I constantly tell my students, ‘I’m here early, I’ll stay late, I’ll do whatever it takes,’ and I mean that sincerely.’”