Building Futures: HPTC Launches School Year Focused on Skills, Career Pathways, and Expansion.
High Plains Technology Center (HPTC) Superintendent Barclay Holt announced bold plans to expand post-secondary opportunities for Northwest Oklahoma, citing the increasing demand for skilled trades and workforce training.
âWe have kicked off the school year with a lot of momentum,â Holt said. âYou canât turn on the news today without hearing about the need for skilled trades. Students need more hands-on application, and HPTC has been answering that callâbeginning as early as sixth grade through our Technical Applications Program (TAP), and continuing through our daytime programs and Business & Industry services.â
In recent years, HPTC has seen major growth in high-demand areas such as Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Wind Energy, Commercial Driverâs License (CDL), Long-Term Care Aide, and Certified Medication Aide programs. Holt said the school is committed to doubling down on these areas while expanding new opportunities that keep rural Oklahoma self-sustaining.
âWe want to train and retain our students,â Holt explained. âIf you drive down 34th Street, youâll see dirt moving because weâve outgrown our space. Welding, construction, and diesel programs are at more than 100% capacity. To make room, weâre expanding facilities so we can add even more programs in the future. Program expansion areas of HVAC, electrical & plumbing, as well as other areas, are real possibilities.â
A generous gift this spring accelerated HPTCâs vision. Bobby and Brenda Alexander donated the Woodward Studio of Dance building, located just west of campus, to support the schoolâs post-secondary growth.
âThe Alexanders believe in what weâre doing for Northwest Oklahoma, and their donation has given us a springboard to make this vision a reality,â Holt said. âBut to fully deliver, we must continue addressing space, funding, and system structure. Thatâs what my staff and I have been working tirelessly to achieve.â
Holt emphasized that post-secondary training is not about choosing âcollege or nothing,â but rather expanding opportunities.
âFor too long, the idea has been that a good life requires a college degree,â Holt said. âBut nothing could be further from the truth. We donât want students to have to choose between âthisâ or âthat.â Instead, we want to create opportunities for âthis and thatââmultiple pathways to success.â
To drive this mission, HPTC has appointed Taylor Burnett, who previously led the Business and Industry department, to focus on Post-Secondary and Strategic Development. Burnettâs role is to develop short-term, rigorous programsâmost of which are completed within a yearâthat are directly aligned with industry needs. Just as HPTC evaluates offerings in its full-time programs, Burnett and his team are identifying areas of potential program growth, including energy, agriculture, skilled trades, and heavy equipment operation, among other possibilities. The goal is to provide students with practical, workforce-ready skills in high-demand fields while ensuring programs are targeted, efficient, and impactful for both young adults and the current workforce in Northwest Oklahoma.
Taylor Burnett, HPTC Executive Director of Postsecondary and Strategic Development, shared: âWhat weâre building here at HPTC is more than classrooms or trainingâitâs a launchpad for possibility. Whether a student is just beginning to dream about their future or an adult is looking for a fresh start, weâre proving that opportunity can be created right here in our counties in Northwest Oklahoma. Weâre not only preparing people for jobs, weâre preparing them for lives of purpose, stability, and growth. And thatâs a game changer for our communities. Just as important, weâre creating the kind of energy and excitement that makes people want to stay, build, and thrive right here at home.â
Brent Haken, Oklahoma CareerTech State Director, highlighted the statewide importance of this work. âThe role set for Oklahoma CareerTech has always been and will continue to be training skilled trades labor to enter the job marketâserving local economies and communities with the workforce they need,â Haken said. âAs the demand has skyrocketed in Oklahoma, I see more of a need than ever for all Oklahomans to buy into trades training. The people you depend on daily to keep life running need post-secondary training, and they need it from Oklahoma CareerTech. High Plains Technology Center serves as a model of innovation in northwest Oklahomaâcommitted to early exposure to careers, a deep dive into career training for high school students, and building robust adult training that meets the needs of their patrons. Our system prepares the nurses that care for your family, the folks that keep power on to your home, the professionals that keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. HPTC holds true to continuous improvement on the mission of being Oklahomaâs workforce leader, and I am thrilled with the innovation being sparked by community leaders partnering with this great school.â
Representative Kenton Patkowsky emphasized the critical role of CareerTech programs in supporting the region. âCareerTech education is absolutely essential for sustaining our rural communities,â he said. âPrograms like those at HPTC are not just importantâthey are essential. We still need dentists and lawyers, but man, I really need mechanics, plumbers, and electricians too. Students and families should take a close look at CareerTech pathways, explore what they love, and find the opportunities that fit them best. College isnât the right path for every student, and CareerTech is helping us discover the best fit for each young person, especially here in rural Oklahoma.â
Holt concluded by casting a strong vision for the future:
âThe vision is there, the groundwork has been laid, and we gained a huge injection of momentum with the Alexandersâ donation this past spring,â Holt said. âBut the fact remains, while HPTC and CareerTech are very blessed from a local revenue standpoint, statewide funding has lagged behind in the area of post-secondary opportunities for our citizens. Even so, with the support of our community and strategic planning, we are building a local workforce pipeline where young people can train, work, and raise their families here in Northwest Oklahoma. Thatâs the visionâand itâs one weâre pursuing aggressively in the months and years ahead.â