At the heart of Clinton County’s growing commitment to workforce readiness and real-world learning stands the Wildcat Creek Career Cooperative (WCCC), a powerful collaboration between Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Community Schools of Frankfort, and Rossville Consolidated School District. This countywide partnership is quietly revolutionizing how students prepare for college and careers, and making a positive impact in their community.
Offering an impressive 23 career and technical education (CTE) pathways—from Health Sciences and Engineering to Precision Agriculture and Culinary Arts—WCCC is equipping high school students with hands-on experiences and life-changing opportunities.
“Our students aren’t just reading about their future—they’re living it,” said Georgia Everett, Director of CTE at WCCC. “They’re working side-by-side with professionals, building homes, running preschool classrooms, designing digital content, and even receiving training to work for companies like Eli Lilly and IU Health.”
Work-Based Learning (WBL) is a cornerstone of the Cooperative’s success. Students like Alexandra Zavala Martinez, who interned at the Frankfort Community Public Library, are finding both purpose and a paycheck. Her passion project—developing bilingual story times—led to a full-time job offer and enrollment at Purdue University. Others, like Logan Townsend, discovered their calling through hands-on HVAC training with Jim’s Heating and Cooling.
From CPR training with Clinton County EMS to burn pattern analysis with the Frankfort Fire Department, students in WCCC’s CNA and Criminal Justice programs are learning directly from local experts. The annual house built by the Building Trades program connects students to careers while improving the community, literally brick by brick.
The Student Career Readiness Workshop and Reverse Job Fair are two more examples of how WCCC brings students and employers together, providing a platform for students to showcase their talents and for businesses to discover future employees.
Programs like the LEARN Academy, which partners with Ivy Tech, PepsiCo, Covestro, Tenneco, and NHK, offer a two-year industrial maintenance training program, preparing students for critical roles in Indiana’s manufacturing economy. Summer camps such as “Explore Manufacturing” give younger students (grades 7–9) a taste of what’s to come.
Looking ahead, WCCC aims to grow enrollment and expand its network of business partners. But its future also depends on continued community support to remain in its central location in downtown Frankfort.
With innovative leadership, real-world connections, and the support of all four Clinton County school districts, Wildcat Creek Career Cooperative is proving that career education isn’t just an option—it’s a pathway to purpose.