Technical Schools & Workforce Development

With its multiple technical schools, the Joplin area is dedicated to the improvement of its regional workforce at all levels, and to the development of its local economy.

In March of 2013, Joplin’s home county, Jasper County was nationally recognized as the first ACT Certified Work Ready Community in the United States. The county’s certification was renewed in 2015 and again in 2020.

Since 2009, City Pointe Beauty Academy has focused on preparing top salon professionals through a variety of programs that teach professional skills along with a business background.

City Pointe, which has an annual enrollment of about 80 students, is a Redken premier school that trains its students with only top-of-the-line professional products.

The school offers several programs, including cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology, and a newly expanded massage therapy program. Students get hands-on salon and spa training by serving guests along with classroom lectures, which consist of written and practical exams.

City Pointe is accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts & Sciences, licensed by the Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, the Missouri Board of Therapeutic Massage, and is certified to operate by the Missouri Department of Education as well as the U.S. Department of Education.

Dedicated to serving secondary students from Joplin, Carl Junction, Webb City, and Sarcoxie districts, as well as home-school and private-school students, Franklin Technology Center (FTC) is one of the area’s leading career centers.

In 1937, FTC began as a Joplin Schools program and has since expanded to serve students across the region, as well as approximately 200 full-time adult students. Programs offered by FTC help meet the manpower needs of the community and are offered at the secondary level in areas of trade and industry, health, agriculture, business and marketing.

Co-curricular activities, career and technical student organizations, like Skills USA and DECA, provide leadership and workplace readiness skills. The primary focus for all FTC programs, both secondary and adult, is on high-wage or high-demand occupational areas, including welding, HVAC, culinary arts, automotive technology, and more.

New Dimensions has been offering cosmetology, hairdressing, and manicuring programs to Joplin-area students since its establishment in 1991.

The school uses Paul Mitchell products and hosts Paul Mitchell-trained educators, who teach at the school twice monthly, to provide further education to students. These extra classes concentrate on aspects of working in a salon and on guest services rather than textbook theories.

With class sizes of around 30 students, New Dimensions offers different attendance schedules to fit the needs and lifestyles of all students, including those who are single parents, have part-time jobs, and/or have school-age children.

The WTI Joplin campus specializes in helping students change careers, begin new careers, or train for promotions within their current workplace. With five campus locations across Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, WTI has been a fixture in the region for over 65 years.

The school differs from other technical schools with its small, student-centered classes and flexible scheduling, which helps students make enrollment through graduation a process.

Offered programs include computer technology and network administration; heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration technology; and medical assistant and pharmacy technician training. Through their program advisory committees, WTI stays in constant contact with employers to ensure that its curriculum meets the needs of organizations in the area.