Andrea Townsend, Director of Career Technology & Special Education
March 28, 2022
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.
You have probably heard a lot about CTE lately as its popularity grows. There is good reason for the expansion in CTE. CTE consistently proves to increase student success in metrics such as graduation rate, attendance rate, and post-program placement. A well-known secret to the success of CTE is student participation Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO).
According to CTSO.org, “CTSO enhance student learning through contextual instruction, leadership and personal development, applied learning and real-world application.” These student organizations work in tandem with the classroom curriculum and instruction and build essential employability and career skills through application and engagement in relevant experiences. Students who participate in CTSOs have the opportunity to develop individualized educational experiences in leadership, networking, and technical skill participation.
According to the National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations, “students who participate in CTSOs demonstrate higher levels of academic engagement and motivation, civic engagement, career self-efficacy and employability than other students.” They further state that, “Students who participate in school organizations in 10th grade have higher grade point averages and are more likely to be enrolled in college at 21 than other students.” The benefits of CTSO participation last the lifetime of the students involved and can be seen locally in G-CTEC students at Greenville High School.
GHS students who participate in Career Technical Education will also participate in a CTSO locally and have the opportunity to explore further experiences. Depending on the program they participate in G-CTEC students participate in FFA, FCCLA, BPA, and SkillsUSA. Our Greenville FFA just held their annual banquet to celebrate the CTSO success for students. Our Greenville FCCLA just competed in the Regional Competition and because of the hard work of the students and their advisors, twenty-eight FCCLA students have qualified for the State FCCLA Convention in Columbus Ohio in April. Advisor Amy Schoen shared, “Kate Garber scored a 100% and is competing in the number 1 spot!!”
G-CTEC BPA students recently participated in the State BPA Convention. There, four students in the Supply Chain Management program took first place in the Financial Analyst Team competition. That team, which consists of Million Bryant, Brock Short, Owen Snyder, and Koller Winterrowd will represent GHS at the BPA National Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, in early May. Also competing at the state BPA Convention were JohnRey Abao, Liam Jasenski, and Landon Weaver (Global Marketing Team) and CIS student Tyler Zechar (Linux Operating System). Alex Plessinger (Business Law and Ethics) placed in the top 10. The hard work of these students is to be commended!
The positive outcomes for students, families, communities and our school are a real reason to celebrate! Members of our community are reaching out to connect with these students in an effort to capitalize on the skills and potential of these students as potential employees. “This is great, exactly what I’d hope would come out of the BPA events for our students… real world opportunities!” says Jeremy Woodall Supply Chain Management Instructor.
Hopefully we will not be able to keep this secret quiet for long! Greenville’s CTE students have the opportunity to develop unbelievable technical and professional skills that will benefit them for life! If you would like to learn more about why we are celebrating at G-CTEC, please call 937-548-4188 or follow us at @GreenvilleCTC, or on LinkedIn at Greenville Career Technology Education Center.