Education Spotlight - James Rumsey Technical Institute - The Berkeley County Development Authority

June 8, 2022• Education Spotlight• moisescardenas

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

It is my pleasure to welcome you to James Rumsey Technical Institute. James Rumsey Technical Institute has served high school students from Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan Counties and adult students from the four-state area for over 40 years. During this time, James Rumsey Technical Institute has made a commitment to excellence in technical and academic education to meet business, industry, and government needs locally as well as in our global community.

James Rumsey Technical Institute dedicated faculty and staff bring experience and innovation to the learning experience. High school students have the opportunity to enroll in one of our 1 programs which offer industry credentialing. Students are able to earn college credits through various partnerships, including EDGE (Earn a Degree, Graduate Early) through local higher education institutions. Post-secondary students may enroll in 9 post-secondary programs as well as the Jill S. Weekly Learning Center in order to further advance in their current job skills or to pursue new career options. Students at James Rumsey Technical Center have the opportunity to participate in various student organizations, which have been recognized at the state and national levels.

Take an opportunity look at our website to learn about the various opportunities that are offered and contact us for information on how we can help you achieve your goals.

Donna Van Metre
Director

ABOUT JRTI

As you approach the campus of James Rumsey Technical Institute, you see the sculpture “Pursuit.” Designed by artist Cubert Smith and built by welding students, the sculpture is a symbol of a vision shared by the artist and the James Rumsey staff – becoming educated is moving from darkness into light, and learning is a lifelong process . . . a direction rather than a destination. To accomplish our mission of enhancing the quality of life through continual education, we strive to provide our students with opportunities for lifelong learning.

Pursuit represents a direction not a destination. For we must never stop learning and growing.

An unassuming golden shovel rests virtually unnoticed in our office corner. Penned on that historic shovel are the words, Ground Breaking Ceremony, March 25, 1969.

By August 1970, James Rumsey Vocational-Technical Center was a 2.5 million dollar functioning reality offering 13 areas of technical training. First year enrollment consisted of 289 high school students, 110 full-time adult students, and 204 part-time, evening students. The school’s name changed in the early 1990s to reflect the changing curriculum. Today, fifty years later, there are 18 high school programs and 9 adult programs offered at JRTl with an annual full-time enrollment of approximately 600 students, of which about 130 of those students are adults.

James Rumsey’s campus is comprised of 48 acres and includes the main building, a truck driving range, and an automobile driving range totaling 146,040 square feet of instructional area with millions of dollars of equipment.

Shovel inscription: Used for Ground Breaking Ceremony James Rumsey Technical Institute March twenty fifth nineteen sixty nine. Presented to L.S. McKinney, Chester Hiett

JRTI provides career and technical education to secondary students from Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson Counties. Adult students travel from West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The public, non-profit school is authorized to operate by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and governed by the Administrative Council.

The Practical Nursing program is authorized and monitored by the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses to assure the standards are met in regard to curriculum, instruction, and student achievement. The Surgical Technology program has received accreditation through the CAAHE through 2022, and the automotive program is NATEF certified. A new Massage Therapy program was instituted in 2012. Students also have the opportunity to participate in various student organizations which are recognized at both the state and national levels.

In addition, The Jill S. Weekly Learning Center delivers both advanced skills was well as prepares students for the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), a high school equivalency certificate.

Considered a one-stop shop, and with a placement rate well over 90 percent, James Rumsey Technical Institute proud boasts Our Grads Get Jobs!

ACCREDITATION

Accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, James Rumsey Technical Institute provides high-quality education in a comfortable, professional setting, outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.

Our active committee of industry advisors includes more than one hundred professionals―working within represented industries―to ensure that the institute’s curriculum provides students with the capabilities needed to perform when on the job. For this reason, area businesses remain interested in hiring program participants, leading many employers to directly recruit program graduates.

OUR MISSION

To enhance the quality of life through continual education for students of all ages throughout our community by setting standards of excellence in technical and academic education as determined by business, industry, and government.

OUR VISION

The Institute is dedicated to the belief that each individual should be given a continual opportunity for the development and extension of his/her skill and knowledge to increase an awareness of his/her role and responsibility in society. The Institute is devoted to serving the educational needs of its community and assumes a responsibility to help provide the requirements for trained employees in its region through a cooperative effort from local industry, business, and government.