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Career & Tech Ed Help Unlock Opportunities
Possibilities.
Career & Technical Education exposes students to the breadth of career possibilities in the world of work. Whether a student intends to go to college, further their training, or enter the workforce immediately after graduation, CTE can help them find their path and develop the skills necessary to succeed through hands-on, experiential learning, said Tracy Miller, interim coordinator of postsecondary pathways, instruction and student services for KPS.
“Experiential learning is when students learn by doing and then are able to reflect, think, and then act on the experience. These types of experiences not only promote 21st-century skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, but they also frame learning in an applicable, real-world context. Learning is a process and when students are engaged in an environment of hands-on exploration and higher-level inquiry and engagement, that is when the sparks really start to fly.”
By allowing students to explore careers and earn stackable credentials, CTE students can prepare for viable careers along pathways such as:
- Arts and Communications
- Business/Management/ Marketing & Technology
- Engineering, Manufacturing & Industrial Technology
- Health Sciences
- Human Services
- Natural Resources & Agriscience
CTE in Kalamazoo County operates under the auspices of the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Services Agency. CTE, which some may remember being called vocational education, includes traditional careers such as construction trades, certified nursing assistant, business, welding and cosmetology. But today, students can also explore career possibilities in aviation technology, healthcare, public safety, culinary arts, veterinary science, robotics, information technology, mechatronics, robotics, and other programs.
In Kalamazoo County, the KRESA CTE umbrella also includes Education For the Arts and Early/Middle College, the five-year program that allows a student to simultaneously complete a high school diploma and an associate’s degree or other professional certification at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
“Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Early/Middle College (E/MC) provide students with these types of experiences through rigorous and relevant curriculum while positioning them for future career growth, development, and opportunities,” said KPS Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri. “Students participating in these programs can earn diplomas, certificates, certifications, and credentials to build their career portfolio in several high-demand, high-skill, high-wage critical shortage career fields that employers are ready to hire and take student learning and earning to a higher level.”
Two key elements for today’s CTE classes are the concept of stackable credentials and internships and apprenticeships. With stackable credentials students can begin earning career certifications while still in high school — and keep building those skills and competencies so that by the time they graduate from high school, they can move directly into the world of work.
Internships and apprenticeships are considered essential experiences in the post-secondary education world.
KPS recently received a grant from the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeships to establish Career Launch Kalamazoo, an apprenticeship program for high school students in the areas of information technology, healthcare, and manufacturing.
For Miller, each opportunity to explore a pathway through a career intervention or activities helps students discover what they want to do with their lives as they develop the skills, dispositions, and self-awareness to succeed.
“CTE is designed to help students increase their academic, technical, and employability skills,” Miller said. “The better they understand themselves, their strengths, and their skills, the better they’ll be prepared to launch their careers.”
The experiential nature of CTE ensures that students gain a hands-on understanding of the career pathways that interest them. That’s valuable for any student, including those who see college in their future.
Miller is pleased that CTE is receiving renewed attention and that educators are re-embracing vocational training programs. For too long, skilled trades have been undervalued — despite offering stable, high-paying, indemand careers. That’s been harmful to society, the economy and workforce, students and families, and educational preparation programs, she said.
“We need to stop thinking about CTE and college as an either - or situation. It’s not,” Miller said.
“You can do both. You can do a career tech program and apprenticeship, pursue a job and still have time within the 10-year period to use The Promise to gain stackable credentials, if you qualify for it. Even if you don’t qualify for The Promise, CTE will leave you better prepared to pursue your career training at a community college or a four-year-institution. Our job is to provide students with information about all of the career-building avenues open to them.”