About Area 18

In the Beginning:

In 1963, Indiana passed a law which allowed schools to cooperate with each other to provide a cost-effective method for the joint delivery of specialized and expensive vocational/technical programs.

The Growing Years:

Area 18 Vocational Education (now known as Area 18 Career & Technical Education) was established in 1982 with Adams Central, Bluffton-Harrison, South Adams and Southern Wells forming the partnership. North Adams joined the group in 1988, Jay County in 1994, Northern Wells in 1997, Huntington in 1999, and Blackford in 2010.

Area 18 Career & Technical Education has gone from an enrollment of only a few students in 1982 to over 4900 students with 8150 CTE enrollments (averaging 1.6 CTE courses per student) for the 2012/2013 school year.

Where We're Going:

Area 18 is continuously working to create a Career and Technical Education delivery system second to none. All schools evaluate course offerings annually to determine the needs of our local and regional workplace. CTE Instructors work to provide their students opportunity to earn college credits and valuable industry certifications while in high school.

Area 18 Guidance Departments and Career Preparation teachers are all working together to assist students as they plan for their futures. Student have a multitude of Career Pathways that have been designed to connect the high school experiences with the workplace and continued education.

We are very proud of our Area 18 Career & Technical Education network. Our students are College and Career Ready!