Local students interested in joining Career and Technical Education programs will have the opportunity to visit classrooms, talk to teachers and view demonstrations during the upcoming Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Career and Technical Education Open House.
The Open House is open to prospective students, their families and the general public. The event will help introduce potential students and their families to Herkimer BOCES technical education programs – including the 14 CTE programs, Valley Pathways in Technology Early College High School (VP-TECH) and Real Experience and Designed Instruction in Technical Education Careers (READiTEC).
Students who join Herkimer BOCES CTE programs attend for their junior and senior years of high school. Students who attend VP-TECH or READiTEC start in ninth grade.
The Herkimer BOCES 2026 Career and Technical Education Open House will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Open House attendees will be able to visit the program classrooms, meet the teachers, view demonstrations, have a chance at winning door prizes and more. There also will be community organizations in attendance with booths.
The component school districts that can send students to Herkimer BOCES are Central Valley, Dolgeville, Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Little Falls, Mount Markham, Owen D. Young, Poland, Richfield Springs and West Canada Valley.
Herkimer BOCES offers the following 14 CTE programs: Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Building Construction, Child Family Services, Conservation, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Culinary and Hospitality, Health Science Careers, Heavy Equipment Repair Operations, Network Administration, Power Sports & Agricultural Mechanics, Visual Communications and Media Arts, and Welding and Metal Fabrication.
VP-TECH focuses on technology, project-based learning and real-world work situations and gives students a chance to earn an associate degree through Herkimer College as part of the program.
READiTEC is a pre-vocational exploratory program for ninth and 10th grade students. READiTEC gives students access to all 14 CTE programs, the ability to learn trades jobs and the opportunity to then join one of the CTE programs for 11th and 12th grade if they have success in READiTEC.
For more information on technical education programs, visit www.herkimer-boces.org/cte. Find the Open House event listing on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/3189194564593685.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction students work together while building a house during class. The 2026 Herkimer BOCES Career and Technical Education Open House takes place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.