Missouri technical school flush with cash, short on students


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ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis technical college is flush with money to help students from poor areas get a post-secondary education, but it's having a hard time finding participants to use the funds.

Over the past year, a number of big sponsors have donated millions to different organizations to fund scholarships, internships and youth employment programs in north St. Louis County. The donations are part of the Ferguson Forward initiative set up by St. Louis-area businesses to address economic disparities in impoverished areas.

As part of the initiative, Ranken Technical College has received about $6 million, which is supposed to be doled out over five years to pay for transportation, food, books, uniforms and tuition, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/1IXA6XJ) reported.

Since the fall of 2014, Ranken has recruited just over 100 Ferguson Forward students. The college has about 2,100 students enrolled on a campus that could hold more than 5,000.

Technical colleges, also known as vocational schools, are struggling to get past the stigma that they are second-rate schools for students not good enough to get into a four-year college.

There's also a belief in higher education circles that high school counselors are less likely to steer students toward technical colleges, whether because of the stigma or because they're not familiar with technical schools.

And technical colleges might not be doing a good enough job marketing themselves in an arena where for-profit colleges are spending big money advertising on television.

The only criteria for Ferguson Forward students — who get a full ride at a school where tuition is $14,000 a year — is that they have a high school diploma and are from north St. Louis County. There also are opportunities for high school students to take classes and earn college credits.

For students where transportation is an issue, Ferguson Forward money pays for either dorm fees or bus passes.

Ranken President Stan Shoun said there is room for several hundred more students from the Ferguson Forward program.

"The main thing is that we know there are a lot of kids out there that we can help," Shoun said. "And if you learn the skills, there is going to be a job waiting for you. Money should never be the obstacle that keeps someone from coming here."

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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