Tri-Rivers Celebrates Career and Technical Education Month
Students and faculty at Tri-Rivers Career Center and Center For Adult Education will join others across the nation during the month of February to celebrate national Career and Technical Education (CTE) MonthTM. This year’s theme is Recognizing Classroom Innovators! CTE Month provides CTE programs across the country an opportunity to demonstrate how CTE educates students to be career ready and prepares them for high-wage, high-demand career fields.
Career Tech helps you be College & Career Ready
Today’s economy demands a better educated workforce, and jobs in this economy require more complex knowledge and skills than jobs of the past. Career and technical education (CTE) is an educational strategy for providing young people with the academic, technical, and employability skills and knowledge so they can enter a career field prepared for ongoing learning or higher education/apprenticeships depending on their career goals.
Tri-Rivers prepares students to be college and career ready with contextual learning to help students see the relevance of what they are learning and its connection to career opportunities and life goals. Tri-Rivers high quality programs and pathways ensure that coursework is simultaneously aligned to rigorous academic standards and post secondary expectations. The evolution of Career Technical Training makes it a popular and smart option for students.
Career Tech programs rely on partnerships with employers
Employers provide information about the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for career progression. They serve on advisory committees for each program at the Career Center. They also volunteer their time and expertise providing real world examples of industry problems and challenges for students to resolve.
Project-based learning is common
Career Tech Instructors oftentimes use project-based learning as an instructional strategy. They incorporate rigorous projects that are carefully planned, managed and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration, communication and critical thinking) to create high quality products and presentations. Today Career Technical Education is recognized by state and national leaders as an excellent pathway to follow leading to career success and fulfillment.
CTE encompasses 94 percent of high school students and 13 million post secondary students in the United States and includes high schools, career centers, community and technical colleges, four-year universities and more. CTE is a major part of the solution to myriad national economic and workforce problems, such as high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a post secondary vocational certificate. At a time when job opportunity is so critical, CTE programs in every community are ensuring students are adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.
“The activities planned over the next month will illustrate the rigor and relevance CTE courses offer our students,” said Carol Bebout, principal of the school. “By partnering with the business community, CTE programs are investing in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees as well as future leaders.”
Be sure to listen to staff and students when they join WMRN’s Jeff Ruth, Feb. 23-27 at 6:15-7am.
