County residents have the opportunity this week to see what all the fuss is about when education experts and industry officials talk about Limestone County’s up and coming workforce.

Limestone County Career Technical Center’s annual open house and SkillsUSA competition is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Sanderfer Road campus.

From 8 a.m. to noon, potential career tech students and anyone interested can experience the school’s programs in action and watch local students compete in SkillsUSA competitions for the opportunity to advance to the district level.

Career tech has often been described by Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk as the crown jewel of the district. Since his tenure at Limestone, Career Tech’s student body has grown from approximately 550 students each term to nearly 1,000.

New programs, such as law enforcement and emergency medical services, have been added to the school, requiring the construction of an annex, which opened in August. Other traditional programs, such as collision repair and building science, are expanding and incorporating hi-tech methods to produce graduates ready for high-paying jobs, the superintendent has said in previous interviews.

When considering the growth Limestone County has experienced over the last five years and the projected growth over the next decade, its likely tech school grads can land jobs at industries such as Polaris, Asahi Kasei and Remington, right out of high school, he said.

Prospective students are invited to tour the school and explore its course offerings as they prepare to fill out their schedules for the 2017-18 school year.

“Regardless of a student’s interest or talent, there is a program for everyone,” LCCTC Director Vince Green wrote in a press release. “Our open house … is the perfect opportunity to explore our innovative, hands-on, technical programs in growing industries.”

For a full list of programs offered at the tech school and a listing of the programs participating in the local SkillsUSA competition, visit www.careertechnical.org.