Mar. 24—Voters in Tilton, Northfield and Sanbornton will decide Saturday whether to add career and technical education (CTE) programs in precision manufacturing and cosmetology to the Winnisquam Regional School District's agricultural education center — creating two new career training options for high school students in the greater Lakes Region, with up to 75% funding from the state.

The district's annual meeting begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at Winnisquam Regional High School in Tilton.

"We have an opportunity to add educational opportunities for young people and have the state pay a large portion of it. It's a win-win. It's that simple," said Katherine Dawson, a Tilton select board member and an outgoing member of the Winnisquam Regional School District school board.

"It provides another opportunity for students on their academic journey to employment or higher education, and it would benefit our community to have students with these skills entering the workforce," said Mary Steady, a board member from Northfield.

"From what I'm hearing from the business community in precision manufacturing and cosmetology, they're looking for potential employees with skills to get in on the ground floor," said Sean Goodwin of Sanbornton, chair of the WRSD school board. "We're hopeful that the community will support this unique initiative. This is good for the kids."

The proposed additions complement what's currently available at the Huot Technical Education Center in Laconia, and are based on student interest as well as current and projected workforce demand. Precision manufacturing uses computer-operated machinery to produce components for a variety of industries that are expanding in New Hampshire, including the Lakes Region.There are cosmetology programs in eight high schools across the state, according the the NH Department of Education, but the nearest in Concord is oversubscribed and has a wait list.

If approved, the agriculture center will become the Winnisquam Career & Technical Education Center, offering hands-on learning and training for high school students from Tilton, Northfield Sanbornton, Gilford, Belmont, Franklin, Laconia and the Newfound School District.

Through an agreement reached with the New Hampshire Department of Education, the state will pay roughly $7.65 million of the $10.9 million project. The proposal calls for renovating and expanding the agricultural education center, and for the district to fund the $3.3 million balance with a 15-year bond.

According to data from the state education department: CTE students have a 10% higher graduation rate than non-CTE students, and six of the 10 hardest-to-fill jobs are currently in technical fields or require a CTE background.

"Career and technical education is a powerful economic driver for New Hampshire" and furnishes a steady stream of students with opportunities for family-sustaining employment in thriving and emerging fields, Jeff Beard, deputy director for CTE at the state Department of Education, said in an emailed statement.

Beard said advanced manufacturing is "a significant sector" of the state's economy, and added that a number of Lakes Region firms produce high-tech parts to support the aerospace and defense industries. Small-scale farming, the mainstay of agriculture statewide, remains a staple of New Hampshire's tourism business. Cosmetology education prepares students to work as independent contractors in salons and the esthetic treatment industry.

At last year's school district meeting, most voters supported the CTE improvements, Goodwin said. The number fell six votes shy of the three-fifths majority required to pass.