2025-26 Skills Center: Apply Now!

Posted on: February 11, 2025

Skills Center is Now Accepting Applications!

Dear Franklin Students and Families!

The Seattle Skills Center team is happy to announce that the 2025-26 school year application is open! All SPS students are eligible to register for and earn credit from the half-day Skills Center courses while attending their current high school. Skills Center classes provide rigorous, hands-on learning opportunities for students interested in building skills in careers like healthcare, firefighting, education, maritime, and many more while students are still in high school.

Skills Center application page.

2025-26 Skills Center Courses
The schedule remains the same as this year’s schedule
Steps for Students interested in applying
Videos and Links
Updated list of credit equivalencies

2025-26 Skills Center Courses

These classes are available to all high school students, regardless of home high school location. Skills Center courses typically work best for 11th and 12th grade student schedules, although some 10th graders have been able to make it work. Course descriptions can be found on our School Year website.

Teaching Academy: Careers in Education (Franklin High School)
Medical Assisting (Lincoln High School)
Advanced Manufacturing: Aerospace and Maritime (Rainier Beach High School) !!!
Automotive Technology (West Seattle High School or Washington Middle School “Skills Center Building”)
Construction Trades (Rainier Beach High School) !!!!
Fire Fighting and Emergency Medical Services (Washington Middle School “Skills Center Building”)
Maritime Vessel Operations (Center for Wooden Boats and Seattle Maritime Academy, Seattle Colleges)
Media Arts: Creating for Social Media (NOVA High School)
Nursing Assisting (Franklin High School)
Video Game Design (NOVA High School)

The schedule remains the same as this year’s schedule

AM classes: 8:50am to 11:20am Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, with early dismissal on Wednesday at 10:05am.
PM classes: 12:45pm to 3:15pm, Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, with early dismissal on Wednesday at 2:00pm.

Our students leave Skills Center with a stronger sense of purpose and understanding of the work environment. Students graduate to attend four year or two-year college, enter into an apprenticeship or job training program, or go straight to work out of high school. Many of our classes offer dual college credit with Seattle Colleges, where students earn credits towards their associate’s degree with free tuition through the Seattle Promise Scholarship.

Browse our programs using the video links below or by visiting our Seattle Promise Website. Students can attend any Skills Center class, regardless of their home school location. Transportation can be requested but is not guaranteed. Skills Center will have limited transportation services in the 2025-26 school year.

Steps for Students interested in applying

Visit our website for full course descriptions and to watch videos about specific courses
Complete the required online application.
Have any questions or concerns? Let us know at skillscenterinfo@seattleschools.org

We look forward to welcoming you into our classrooms next fall! Learn more about our summer opportunities!

Before enrolling, students interested in joining a Seattle Skills Center class should consider:

The Seattle Skills Center can be a rewarding, engaging opportunity for students to build skills and knowledge in a college/career path of their choice. It can also prove to be a very challenging environment for some students. Here are some things to consider as you decide if you should enroll in the Seattle Skills Center:
Spending half of your day at another school site requires independence, accountability, and responsibility. Additionally, it’s critical that students have the ability and willingness to follow instructions, especially around safety.
Seattle Public School rules and Washington State laws regarding intoxicating substances like marijuana and alcohol apply, especially due to the risk of injury when using tools or heavy machinery in our classes.
Students using intoxicating substances or being intoxicated at the Skills Center may result in being unenrolled in the Skills Center and having to return to their home high school for the rest of the school year.
Consistent attendance is critical. With our long block period classes, missing two days in one week is the equivalent if missing an entire week of a class in a typical 6 period day. Similarly, arriving late or leaving early impacts student learning and can result in students not being able to continue into second semester or passing their Skills Center class.
While many students enjoy the hands-on aspects of Skills Center classes, students need to know that there are traditional academic aspects to all of our classes. Reading, writing, listening to lectures, engaging in learning about math and history and working and communicating professionally in small or large groups are all important aspects of Skills Center classrooms and are required skills to earn industry recognized credentials and be successful in next steps in college and career, regardless of the career path you choose.
Students should talk with their school counselor and other adults at their home high school to determine if the Skills Center will be place they can learn successfully in, and confirm that it meets the credit requirements needed to stay on track to graduate.

Summer update: The 2025 summer Skills Center application will be available around early April. The tentative summer schedule will be July 8 to July 25, 10:00am to 3:00pm Monday through Friday (with 1.5 hours of daily asynchronous work). Summer classes offer .5 CTE credit. We’ll send out an announcement when we open the application. Learn more Learn more about the 2025 Skills Center Summer Program.

Videos and Links

Updated list of credit equivalencies

Skills Center Class	Location	Credits	Credit Equivalencies	Cross Credits
Medical Assisting:	Lincoln High School	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (minus cross credits used)	N/A	Science (0.5 Credits) Applied Math (0.5 Credits)
Advanced Manufacturing: Aerospace and Maritime	Rainier Beach HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	Math, Science	N/A
Automotive Technology	Washington Middle School (“Skills Center Building”) or West Seattle High School	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	Science	N/A
Construction Trades	Rainier Beach HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	Math, Science	N/A
Firefighting and EMS	Washington Middle School (“Skills Center Building”)	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	Science, Physical Education (not personal fitness)	N/A
Maritime Vessel Operations	Seattle Maritime Academy & Center for Wooden Boats (students attend both locations)	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	American Government	N/A
Media Arts: Creating for Social Media	Nova HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalencies available)	Fine Arts	N/A
Nursing Assisting	Franklin HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalency available)	Science	N/A
Teaching Academy	Franklin HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalency available)	ELA	N/A
Video Game Design	Nova HS	3.0 CTE Credits per Year (equivalency available)	Geometry, Fine Arts	N/A