Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC)

WANIC stands for Washington Network for Innovative Careers. It’s a high school skill center, and its main campus is located inside Lake Washington Institute of Technology. They serve Northeast King County and cover about 1000 square miles of school districts within the consortium. The consortium involves seven participating school districts (Northshore, Lake Washington, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Snoqualmie Valley, and Riverview) and 34+ participating high schools.

They offer advanced Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses in which students earn three high school credits during a full school year with a total 540 hours. They have 21 Skill Center programs across 9 locations.

The students are eligible to apply to all the WANIC programs in any of the above seven districts. They have programs spread out throughout the region.

Issaquah School District students make up 11% of the enrollment in the 2022-23 WANIC full-year program. Out of a total of 660 WANIC students, there are 71 students from ISD in the 2022-23 full-year program and 49 students in the Summer 2022 program.

WANIC Skill Center programs are open to high school juniors (11th grade) and seniors (12th grade). These programs are Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs. They include full-year programs with two semesters where students can earn three full high school credits or 1.5 credits each semester. They are year-long classes and are called preparatory programs. The programs WANIC offers in the summer semester are a bit different. The summer classes are available to students in 9th - 12th grades and are called exploratory programs.

What do students gain by participating in a WANIC Skill center program?

• Opportunities to have Extended Learning Time each day in a career pathway experience.

• Preparation for employment and college

• Advanced skills training

• State-of-the-art equipment

• CTE graduation pathway fulfilled

• Dual credit (high school and college credit)

• College credit and/or industry certifications

• Options to continue in 2-year and 4-year colleges

• Student leadership opportunities

• Experienced instructors supported by Advisory Committees

To be eligible to register for the WANIC program, the student has to:

• Be registered at a WANIC consortium high school.

• Be in 11th or 12th grade. 10th-grade students may be considered for some programs.

• Receive approval from a career specialist. The career specialist or the college and career specialist at the sending high school is critically important because they are the ones who process the registration and approve the application for a WANIC program. If a student is interested in the WANIC program, they need to speak directly with the career specialist as soon as possible to enroll for next fall.

• Some of the programs require information sessions in order to be fully approved.

• Review the prerequisites for the programs. Some programs have prerequisites.

• April 15th is the priority application deadline for programs in Northshore and Bellevue school districts.

• Must provide your own reliable transportation.

Some other important considerations:

• Half the school day is spent in a different location than the home high school

• Commitment and logistics – some classes start early (7 AM) or end late (6 PM)

• Transportation, travel time, after-school activities, family commitments, and work

• Follows the calendar and schedules of the receiving school district – often different than home high school and Running Start program.

• WANIC is NOT a Running Start program. Students become enrolled in the school district where that program is in addition to their own district.

Some varieties of scheduling options that students and families should consider, and the student's high school career specialist and the school counselor will be the ones to coordinate the schedule and finalize all of the details, making sure that everything is balanced in both locations. Students need to register as usual with their school process and get the courses they want all in line.

Some really important considerations as students schedule their classes:

• Students could have morning WANIC classes, equaling three periods. Lunch takes place during the travel period. They would then take the other three periods at their home high school.

• Alternatively, students could choose to take classes at their home high school in the morning, have a travel period, and then come to WANIC in the second part of the day.

• Some students take four periods at their home high school. If they are interested in doing the DigiPen programs, they can take a late afternoon course there. This works great for a seven-period day.

• Some schedules that DO NOT work well are when students want to take six or seven periods at their home high school and then try to take DigiPen courses at the end of the day. This is an extremely stressful situation.

WANIC programs are always FREE! Some programs may have supplies/materials fees, but “barrier reduction funds” for financial assistance are available for students to apply to receive. These funds can cover costs such as class fees if applicable, required uniform costs, gas card or ORCA bus pass (ORCA free if under 18 years old), and other items may be fully/partially covered. Any student in ANY Skill Center program may qualify for assistance if one or more of the criteria apply: Student receives Free/Reduced lunch at sending school AND/OR family qualifies for another state-funded program AND/ OR school counselor confirms family has financial need.

If a student is in an IEP Special Education program or 504 Accommodation Plans or MLL/ ELL (Multilingual Learner/English Language learner), connect with the school’s support team (IEP case managers and counselors) if interested in WANIC programs. WANIC also partners with the student’s support team from their sending high school to ensure a good fit and that the program expectations are clear to the student before enrollment.

By participating in the WANIC program, students may earn college credit in addition to high school credit. WANIC is aligned with Pacific Northwest dual college credit and is accessible at five different colleges in their consortium area. The majority of the WANIC credits that students earn are with Bellevue College or with Lake Washington Technical College. They also have agreements with Shoreline and Cascadia and other programs in the area. Most WANIC classes not only offer high school credits, where students can earn three credits but also credit equivalent courses. This means the courses are equivalent to the college credits at certain colleges. They have the articulation agreements and help the students get set up and apply to receive these credits. Students have to earn a B grade or better to be able to earn dual credits in total. It costs $50 a year to get as many credits as you possibly can. For example, in the Medical Careers program, students earn 32 credits for $50 compared to $500 per credit in a standard college. This is money, time, and effort saving that is all transferable. The transcripts for this program do not come through WANIC. They have to be obtained through the college and through Pacific Northwest College credit. WANIC/DigiPen students have the opportunity to earn credit while they are in the DigiPen programs for the DigiPen College.

Issaquah School District students interested in the sports medicine program do not have to fill out a WANIC application. They can apply within the school district to access this program. For all the other out-of-district programs that District students want to attend, they need to fill out an application on the WANIC website. The application opens in January and closes in April. For detailed dates for applications, enrollment, and open houses, please check the WANIC website: wanic.org.

WANIC Summer Semester is available for rising 9th through 12th graders at multiple locations. They are exploratory, rigorous, fast-paced classes that meet for 7 hours a day for three weeks and are FREE. Students receive 0.5 HS credits (affects GPA) and no college credit. Grade reports are sent to high school for the official transcript – this is not optional.

Applications open in April after the Spring Break.

Some examples of programs offered by WANIC:

• Automotive Technology: At Bothell HS & Bellevue HS; 2-year program available; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Lab Science (1.0)); Industry certification –Automotive Service Excellence (ASE); Discover the real-world experience of automotive careers, use the latest equipment, procedures, and system.

• Aviation Technology-STEM: At WANIC @ LWTech; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Lab Science (1.0) PENDING); Prerequisite –Geometry; This STEM course is an entry point into a multitude of careers in the aviation industry, such as an Airline Pilot, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator, or Air Traffic Controller. Students will use a simulator and have the opportunity to earn ground school certifications –VFR (visual flight rules), IFR (instrument flight rules), and drone skills

• Baking & Pastry: At Bothell HS; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Lab Science (1.0)); Learn techniques of mixing, shaping, and folding while applying the science and math behind baking. Practice decorating techniques like sugar and chocolate garnishing in a well-equipped, industry-standard kitchen.

• Cisco Networking Academy: At Newport HS; 2-year program available. 3 HS credits (CTE (3.0)); Industry certifications: Year 1 – CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate), Year 2 – CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional); State-of-the-art networking lab. Design, build, manage, and troubleshoot networks.

• Dental Careers: At WANIC @ LWTech; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Lab Science (1.0)); Prerequisite – Biology recommended; Explore dental career opportunities. Learn about instruments, procedures, sterilization, radiography, anatomy, infection control, etc. State-of-the-art dental lab and equipment. Industry certifications: Basic Life Support First Aid & CPR, *optional: National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA)

• Fire & EMS: At WANIC @ LWTech; 2-year program available; 3 HS credits (CTE (1.0) & Lab Science (1.0) & PE (1.0)); Taught by active, off-duty firefighters. Industry certification: Basic Life Support First Aid & CPR; Part of each week is spent at local fire departments. Class is a mix of hands-on training and academics.

• Health Science Careers (Nursing): At WANIC @ LWTech & Sammamish HS & Woodinville HS; 3 HS credits (CTE (1.5) & Lab Science (1.0) & Health (0.5)); Prerequisite – Biology recommended; Real-life experience at health care clinics; Industry certification: Basic Life Support First Aid & CPR, Test to become

Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC) and complete the National Nurse Aid Assessment Program (NNAAP).

• Sports Medicine: At Issaquah HS; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Science (1.0)); Prerequisite – Biology recommended; Learn anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, nutrition, injury prevention, rehabilitation, taping and wrapping, classroom instruction, lab participation, field internships; Industry certification: First Aid & CPR

• DigiPen Art & Animation: At WANIC DigiPen Campus; 2-year program available; 3 HS credits: Year 1 – CTE (1.0) & Fine Art (1.0) & Art History (1.0), Year 2 – CTE (2.0) & AP Art Drawing (1.0); Learn skills to succeed as an artist, illustrator, or animator

• DigiPen Data Analytics & Visualization: At WANIC DigiPen Campus; 3 HS credits (CTE (2.0) & Pending Math (1.0)); Prerequisite - Algebra 2; Computer sciencebased program examines practical challenges involving complex realworld data. Extract strategic insights from data, build predictive models to forecast future trends, and efficiently communicate them to inform business strategies.

For a full listing and descriptions of WANIC programs offered for 2023-24, please visit: wanic.org. For questions, email wanic@ lwsd.org or call (425) 739-9400.