Winnisquam Career Center finishes extensive addition, renovation project

CONCORD — Representatives from the New Hampshire Department of Education recently visited the newly renovated Winnisquam Career Center in Tilton, completing the department’s final walk-through of the two-year project.

Attached to Winnisquam Regional High School, the Winnisquam Career Center on West Main Street in Tilton recently finished an $11.2 million construction project designed to expand and strengthen its career and technical education programs. The upgraded facility enhances the integration of rigorous academic instruction with engaging technical training and employability skill development.

“With eight schools sending students to the Winnisquam Career Center, it’s clear that today’s learners want hands-on experiences that go far beyond a classroom setting,” Commissioner Caitlin D. Davis of NHED said. “This renovated facility opens doors for students to explore real career pathways while earning industry and postsecondary credentials. It gives them a true jump-start on their futures and helps build a stronger, more skilled workforce for New Hampshire."

The Winnisquam Career Center offers five career and technical education programs through a two-year program, which include:

• Animal Care and Management provides students with pet training, grooming, pet first aid and CPR, animal diagnostics, basic livestock care, and more
• Cosmetology teaches hair cutting, styling and coloring, as well as skin and nail care, makeup application, and more
• Design, Create and Fabricate provides students with shop and machine safety, blueprint reading, proper use of industry-grade equipment and tools, welding, advanced manufacturing, and more
• Outdoor Resources and Recreation teaches trail building and maintenance, forest management, chainsaw use, bike and ski tuning, landscape construction, and more
• Plant Science and Agriculture provides lessons on soil science, plant breeding, floral design, greenhouse operation and production, apiculture, maple sugaring, hydroponics, and more

Enrollment is expected to be about 184 students in the fall of 2026, according to Wujcik, which is up from the current enrollment of 120.

The WiCC’s career and technical education construction and renovation project was funded in large part thanks to state funding in the 2024-25 state capital budget. The WiCC received $7.6 million in state funds for these renovations, which represents approximately 70% of the full project cost, pursuant to RSA 188:E-10. The state pays up to 75% of renovation and construction costs for CTE projects, with local municipalities covering the rest. Included in the 2028-29 Biennium Capital Budget Requests are two proposed CTE projects ― additions and renovations at the Milford Applied Technology Center and the Region 14 (ConVal) Applied Technology Center.

Students attending or living in the region associated with the following high schools are eligible to apply: Belmont, Franklin, Gilford, Inter-Lakes, Laconia, Merrimack Valley, Newfound Regional, Winnisquam Regional and area charter, nonpublic, and home education students.

For more information about the facility, visit WiCC-ED.org, or email info@WiCC-Ed.org.