Education That Transforms Tomorrow

The CERT High School is crafted to maximize the earning potential and provide an advantage to young adults who may be at a disadvantage in life.

A CERT student in blue hoodie kneeling on wooden plank, working with power tools on a grassy area in an urban park, with city buildings and bystanders in the background.

The Certification & Emergency Response Training (CERT) High School is an alternative high school designed as a hybrid career academy. We prepare students with several nationally recognized industry certifications, licenses, and credentials for high-demand occupations involved in transportation, disaster rescue, recovery, and community rebuilding.

As a student in the CERT High School, you will:

  • Earn $300 a week with our AmeriCorps program.

  • Learn how to operate a variety of beginner and advanced power tools, equipment, and vehicles.

  • Earn credentials to help you get a job.

  • Earn scholarships for additional training after graduation.

  • Prepare for employment.

  • Complete your high school diploma.

AmeriCorps logo with a stylized blue circle containing a black letter 'A' made of ascending stairs, and the word 'AmeriCorps' in blue text below.

Curriculum

Semester 1

    • Responder Fitness

    • Employment Connections

    • Patient Relations

    • Service & Etiquette

    • Global Culture & Relief

    • International Incident Response

    • Basic Foreign Communication

    • U.S. Passport

    • National Incident Management System-100

    • National Incident Management System-200

    • National Incident Management System-700

    • National Incident Management System-800

    • OSHA Disaster Site Worker

    • Search & Rescue Operations

    • Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

    • CERT

    • Storm Watch

    • Civil Air Patrol

    • Disaster Medical Operations-CPR/First Aid

    • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Certification

    • Certified Nursing Assistant Training

    • Phlebotomy Training

    • Medical Records Management

    • Traumatic Stress & Psychology

    • Remote Responder Operations-Robotics

    • STEM 101

    • Fluid Dynamics

    • Fluid Dynamics

    • Computer Aided Design (CAD)

    • Digital Imaging

    • Design Team & Problem Solving (Synectics)

    • Arborist Training

    • Utility Line Maintenance Training

    • DOT Flagger Certification

    • Class D Driver License

    • Commercial Driver License

    • ECO-Driving (Class 8) Over-the-Road

    • National Safety Council-Defensive Driving

    • Passenger Assistance Training

    • Public Passenger License

    • Chauffeur’s License

    • OSHA HAZWOPER (29 CFR 1910.120)

    • Nanotechnology Safety Training

    • Refinery Safety Overview (RSO) Card Certified

    • Hazardous Materials Management

    • DOT Hazardous Materials Handling & Packaging

    • OSHA Confined Space Certification

Semester 2

    • Responder Fitness

    • Employment Connections

    • Certified Renovator

    • OSHA Asbestos Awareness Training

    • Mold & Moisture Control Awareness

    • Heavy Equipment Operations

    • Skid-loader Operation

    • Backhoe Operation

    • Bucket Truck Certification

    • Industrial Deck Mower Operation

    • Food Handling Certification

    • Beginning Wastewater Treatment Operator

    • Sewer Science

    • Backflow Prevention Tester Awareness

    • Wastewater Collection Operator Awareness

    • Water Sampling & Monitoring

    • Water Action Volunteer I Training

    • Water Action Volunteer II Training

    • Potable Water

    • Water Distribution Systems Operation

    • Forklift Certification

    • Logistics & Warehouse Operations

    • Small Engine Repair

    • Alternative Fuels

    • Biodiesel Production

    • Hydro Power

Semester 3

    • Responder Fitness

    • Employment Connections

    • Entry-Level Solar Installer Certification

    • Beginner’s Electrical License

    • Energy Technology

    • Electrical Instrumentation & Automation

    • Technician Training

    • Energy Auditor (BPI) Certification

    • Focus on Energy Cold Climate

    • Climate Literacy

    • Geothermal/HVAC Training

    • EPA HVAC Certification

    • Transit Surveyor

    • OSHA 10-hour Construction Safety

    • HBI Deconstruction Certification

    • Basic Pipelaying

    • Industrial Arts I

    • National Career Readiness Certification

    • Industrial Arts II

    • Welding (MIG & TIG)

    • AutoCAD/3-D Modeling Project Management

    • Homebuyer Education/Financial Literacy

    • Entrepreneurship

Logo for CERT: Certification & Emergency Response Training, with the word CERT in large blue letters and a red and black star in the center.

Be a Leader

Employers Seek Transportation and Disaster Response Qualifications

Throughout the process, young adults who previously left or had been pushed out of a traditional school system without a diploma learn a wide range of occupations and acquire middle-skill credentials to perform a variety of duties. Training at CERT High School assists in covering content requirements for a high school diploma and jumpstarts students into careers.

In the United States there is only one trained first responder for every three hundred Americans. The first people to arrive to an emergency are likely to be neighbors, friends or family members. CERT High School prepares students to lead in emergency situations with the skills and knowledge that will protect the lives of those whom they care about most. Natural and man-made disasters are increasingly frequent phenomena. CERT High School is an opportunity to re-focus your life toward a meaningful and relevant service career.

Become a role model for your family, friends, and community.

A CERT student working with a shovel in a garden or park, with a river, trees, and buildings in the background on a sunny day.

Teach Our Future Leaders

“Learning is the bridge between who you are today and who you dream of becoming.”

Our teachers play a critical role in applying state-of-the-art instructional methods for real world learning and achievement by CERT School students. As a CERT School teacher, you will teach vocational certification classes, remedial education classes and preparatory classes for the General Educational Development test as well as pre-apprenticeship exams, post-secondary admission tests, and other life skills.

The CERT School operates year round and annual salary for our teachers is based on qualifications and teaching experience. Applicants should have previous teacher training and classroom instruction experience. Preference will be given to candidates who possess or are in the process of attaining a Wisconsin middle/high school teaching license with teaching certification from an accredited post-secondary institution.

CONTACT US
A CERT student in a blue hoodie and camouflage shorts is planting or working with plants outdoors, holding a piece of green foliage with roots attached, under a partly cloudy sky.