Schools : Education news : Troy High Plans a Finnish Exchange

A commercial college in Finland has been connected to Troy High School’s computer system, and plans for a student exchange program are in the works.

Officials from Kokkola Commercial College in Finland hooked up with Troy High when the current school year started, as the local school began a four-year Tech Prep program.

Tech Prep, funded by a $30,000 California Department of Education grant, is a program made up of computer classes geared at helping students learn how to gather information and prepare for careers in technical fields.

A Tech Prep counselor uses computers to teach students how to access information on trade schools and figure out what type of career they want to pursue after graduation. Students are then placed in internships to try out different fields.

Jason Johnson, 18, a student in the Tech Prep program, said it provides valuable information for his future.

“Instead of just dumping you out in the world, it prepares you well,” he said.

Johnson said he wants to be among the first students swapped in an exchange with the Finnish school.