Renton Technical College marks milestone years

Renton Technical College celebrates two milestones this year: its 85th anniversary as an institution and 35 years as part of Washington’s community and technical college system.

RTC joins Bates Technical College, Bellingham Technical College, Clover Park Technical College, and Lake Washington Institute of Technology in celebrating 35 years of expanding access to career-focused education.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has proclaimed October 1, 2026, as Technical College Day, honoring the contributions of Washington’s five technical colleges to education, workforce development and economic opportunity.

“As Renton Technical College celebrates its 85th anniversary and 35 years in the state's community and technical college system, we continue our commitment to transformation through learning, and creating a place where every student can find their place,” RTC President Yoshiko Harden said.

35 Years as a Technical College

In 1991, the Washington State Legislature formally recognized five vocational institutes as technical colleges, making them part of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Together, the five colleges serve approximately 34,000 students annually and offer instruction in 690 programs and degrees. Through hands-on training, industry-aligned programs and strong employer partnerships, they prepare students for high-demand careers while meeting Washington’s evolving workforce needs.

85 Years of Transformation Through Learning

Renton Technical College was founded in 1941 as a war production school known as Renton Vocational-Technical Institute. Throughout World War II, the College provided customized pre-employment training and retraining.

After the war, the college became a state-funded professional-technical school, charged with assisting industry in converting to a peacetime economy. For the next two decades, the college focused on worker retraining classes and a small number of high-quality industry training programs. 

In 1965, the college, at that time known as Renton Vocational Technical Institute, moved to its current location. The initial campus was just three buildings located on NE 4th Street. in the Renton Highlands neighborhood. Since 1971, the college has expanded to over nine acres of workforce training facilities. Renton Vocational Technical Institute joined the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges and was renamed Renton Technical College in 1991.  

The campus and its buildings expanded and modernized over the decades, and the college launched cutting-edge programs like Mechatronics and Cybersecurity. RTC began implementing Guided Pathways in 2016. Dr. Yoshiko Harden was appointed president in 2022. She is the first woman and the first person of color to lead the college.  

Renton Promise, which offers up to free tuition for graduates of high school in Renton, started in 2023.  

RTC's commitment to student success continues through its Be the Place Strategic Equity Plan, which places equity, workforce development and student success at the center of the college's mission of Transformation Through Learning.

The college will mark both anniversaries throughout the academic year.

1941

The college began as a war production school, where many of the students were women whose husbands were serving their country.

1960s

Nursing programs and parent education programs began in the 1960s. Today the college offers a two-year Registered Nurse program to meet the needs of the community.