Five Kentucky school districts have created the state’s first regional career and technical academy, where high school students will learn advanced manufacturing and technology skills.
The goal of the I-Lead Academy is for students to earn a work certificate or dual credit for college, and possibly an associate’s degree, while in high school, said Alicia Sells with the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, which helped develop the school.
The school will be located in Carrollton and will offer up to 30 spots a year to freshman students from Carroll, Gallatin, Henry, Owen and Trimble counties beginning next fall.
In four years, the school will have an attendance of around 120 students, said Sells. They’ll attend the Jefferson Community and Technical College campus in Carrollton full time as juniors and seniors.
To create the school, OVEC researched which jobs are in demand in the region, she said.