Western Arkanas Technical Center (WATC)
Students who participate in WATC will leave campus at 12:40pm to travel to the WATC Campus.
WATC provides area high school juniors and seniors with the unique opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. The center’s curriculum serves as an extension of the high school curriculum offerings by providing students with hands-on training in technical fields. Services are offered at no cost to the students. WATC provides books, tuition, and fees thanks to funding made available by the Department of Workforce Education and a training fee paid by the local school districts.
WATC has three primary goals which define our purpose:
- To aid students in making an informed career choice. Students select a technical program based on their interests and aptitudes. Their experiences in the program help them to make career choices.
- To prepare students to enter the workforce upon high school graduation. The programs provided by UAFS to WATC students lead to a professional certification, a certificate of proficiency, or a technical certificate from UAFS which equal marketable job skills.
- To encourage students to continue their education after high school. UAFS classes successfully completed by students enrolled through the WATC program are credited at both the high school and college level. Students can finish their technical program with as many as 40 hours toward a degree or advanced certification program.
To learn more about WATC and their available programs click here!
College Level Courses
Access to College opportunities is a hallmark of an equitable community. When students are engaged in academically rigorous college level experiences through our affiliations with the Western Arkansas Technical Center (WATC), UAFS, and Arkansas Tech they gain the opportunity to get credits they can apply to their college career. College is not for everyone but everyone should have access if they desire that opportunity.