DAYTON - A new technical skills learning facility nearing completion in Walla Walla will allow high school students throughout southeast Washington to receive specialized training in several areas where workers are in high demand.

The Southeast Area Technical Skills Center, or SEA-TECH, is located on the Walla Walla Community College Campus, but will be part of the Walla Walla School District.

According to Dayton School Superintendent Doug Johnson, other schools in the region, including Dayton, Waitsburg, Prescott, College Place and Touchet, will be part of a consortium whose students may enroll at the facility.

Programs being offered at SEA-TECH include:

- Digital Media Technology

- Health Science Careers

- Sustainable Design Technology

- Advanced Manufacturing and Welding Technology

These programs will be open to juniors and seniors, and Johnson said that six Dayton students have filed paperwork to take classes at SEA-TECH next year.

"These are skills where kids will have a good chance of finding good jobs," Johnson said. He said that students will attend SEA-TECH for half a day and then their own high school for the other half. He also said that slots allocated for the smaller consortium schools are limited, and there may be competition to get in to SEA-TECH programs in the future.

More information on SEA-TECH can be found at www.myseatech.org.