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Greenville City Schools
Happy CTE Month
Andrea Townsend
Director of Career Technology & Special Education
February 16, 2020
February is known for love and it is the PERFECT month to celebrate CTE
Month. That’s because students, families, employers and educators LOVE
Career Technical Education (CTE)! Please join Greenville High School
Career Technical Education Center (G-CTEC) in celebrating CTE Month!
According to aeseducation.com, Career and technical education (CTE) is
quickly becoming the hottest topic in education news throughout the
United States. That is probably because CTE is cutting-edge, rigorous
and relevant technical skill training that prepares students for
high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers. CTE is one of the most
important parts of the modern American education system because it
allows students to acquire and apply necessary technical knowledge with
21st century skills that transfer into college and career readiness.
CTE may seem like the newest buzz word among many emerging from
education these days. Actually, CTE has a proven history of preparing
students for careers that help them live their lives to the fullest.
The first federal law that called for financial investment in
vocational education passed in 1917. Since then our federal government
has acted on CTE funding 15 times, including 3 times in the last 10
years. Early in its history, you may have heard it referred to
Vocational Education or “vo-tech”. Even then, CTE it played an
important role in the lives of the students who participated. In 2018,
congress increased funding for CTE by $70 million which brings the
total to nearly $1.263 billion. That is a significant investment and
for good reason. CTE is a crucial component of education around our
nation and especially here in Greenville!
This month G-CTEC is celebrating CTE for 3 main reasons.
First, CTE students graduate! Across the nation, 95% of the students
enrolled in CTE graduate from high school. This is a noteworthy
increase over the 85% average high school graduation rate. In Ohio,
almost 97% of CTE student graduated which is 11.5% over the state
average. In Greenville over 98% of G-CTEC students graduated. High
school student involved in CTE are more engaged, graduate at higher
rates and typically go on to postsecondary education. In fact, studies
have shown that taking one CTE class for every two academic classes
minimizes the risk of students dropping out of high school and 91
percent of high school graduates who earned 2-3 CTE credits enrolled in
college (aeseducation.com). That is certainly a great reason to
celebrate CTE month!
Let’s also celebrate that CTE helps the economy. CTE prepares students
to fill the predicted skills gap in our economy. Economists and
industry leaders predict that 3 million workers will be needed for the
nation’s infrastructure in the next decade. More than 80% of
manufacturers report talent shortages and health care occupations are
projected to grow 18 % by 2026 adding more than 2 million new jobs. In
Greenville, G-CTEC program instructors partner with local employers to
match rigorous instruction to the technical skills the industry
requires. More than half of G-TEC graduates demonstrate high levels of
technical skills and knowledge on industry specific assessments that
document their preparedness for immediate entry into the workforce or
more training. CTE students gain TECHNICAL and ACADEMIC skills as well
as EMPLOYABILITY skills for success in any workplace, in further
education and in career awareness and planning. In fact, CTE provides
students with the skills that employers most need across industries.
(www.acteonline.com)
Finally, it’s easy to celebrate that CTE can be almost free. The
combination of the Federal funding through the Perkins V and State
funding makes CTE low-cost and high yield. It is a fact that for every
$1 of government funding, the entire American economy earns $12.20 in
return. That amazing return of investment is because, CTE engages
students, builds academic, employability and technical skills and
prepares them to be college and career ready. Students who are engaged
in CTE contribute to our economy, but they also positively participate
our communities and build growing careers.
There are so many reasons to celebrate CTE! Just ask a CTE student here
in Greenville. They will tell you all about how they are learning
technical skills, participating in student leadership organizations,
and building for their future careers. The positive outcomes for
students, families, communities and the economy are a real reason to
celebrate. If you would like to learn more about why we are celebrating
at G-CTEC, please call 937-548-4188 or follow us at @Greenville CTC, or
on LinkedIn at Greenville Career Technology Education Center. Happy CTE
Month!
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