Technical education (CTE) has evolved and advanced

This isn't your grandpa's Vo-Tech. Or grandma's Home-Ec.

Technical education has evolved and advanced dramatically in the last two decades. What were once narrowly defined instructional courses are now clusters of educational experience combined with on-site internships.

At some point in their life, students of all ages – but high school students especially – will make a momentous decision: what will be my career?

Many students have formed an idea by the time they graduate high school, but for some, the idea is not set in stone. For others, a specific occupation has not yet appealed to them.

Since the turn of the century, schools offered a curriculum that gave a student a taste of what working in a specific field might be like. But the development of a career choice is more pronounced when a student is given a better understanding of what it means to actually work at a specific job before they enroll in a two- or four-year college, or a Vo-Tech school.

Career Technical Education (CTE) is a nationwide program that provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and become lifelong learners.

CTE began in post-Civil War America with the opening of the St. Louis Manual Training School in 1879. The school grew out of the non-traditional thinking of educator Calvin Milton Woodward, who believed that the traditional school model would struggle to address the country’s need for skilled labor at a time of rapid industrialization.

CTE's ongoing evolution parallels the ever-changing labor market and the advancement of technology. Instead of traditional vocational education, CTE now offers a diverse range of subjects and career fields, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

About 12 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE across the nation. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who complete a sequence of CTE courses in high school are more likely to graduate on time and enroll in postsecondary education.

The high school graduation rate for CTE concentrators is about 90 percent – 15 percentage points higher than the national average.

"As our nation recovers from the pandemic, we must ensure today's students are ready to meet tomorrow's needs. Investments in Career and Technical Education – programs that are proven to successfully reengage students and prepare them for in-demand, good paying jobs – are key to that goal," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Expanded pathways from high school to the workforce can help students gain the skills and earn the credentials needed for high-growth jobs, including those that don't require a four-year college degree."

Kansas utilizes the National Career Cluster Framework. A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonality. Career Clusters organize academic and occupational knowledge and skills into a coherent course sequence and identify pathways from secondary schools to two-and four-year colleges, graduate schools, and the workplace.

In their Cluster Framework, the Concordia Junior/Senior High School (CHS) offers students nine pathways to potential CTE advanced study: Animal Science, Construction and Design, Digital Media, Fashion and Apparel and Interior Design, Finance, Health Science, Plant Systems, Restaurant and Event Management, and Power, Structural and Technical Systems.

In the Animal Science pathway, students learn about animal breeds, from household pets to farm livestock, and their care, nutrition, and medical needs.

In Plant Systems, students learn about occupations that entail growing food, feed, and fiber crops, and the growth of plants while conserving natural resources and maintaining the environment. Often the work includes nutritional analysis and genetic engineering.

Students entering the Power, Structural and Technical Systems pathway enjoy working with equipment and all things technical. Career professionals in this field know engineering, hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, as well as machinery and equipment.

Students in the Construction Design pathway work on the design, layout, and building of structures, including the safety of advanced power tools and stationary machinery related to the construction industry.

For Business Finance, students plan, organize, direct, and evaluate a business organization through the use of financial, human, and material resources to enhance a student's business and financial intelligence.

In the Restaurant and Event Management pathway, students work in the management, marketing, and operations of restaurants and other businesses or organizations in food service-related areas.

Students in the Fashion, Apparel, and Interior Design pathway focus on the multi-billion dollar clothing and design industry.

For Health Science, students learn the basics of human anatomy and physiology, as well as what is required to have a career in the healthcare industry, including doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. Classes include knowledge of health care ethics, legal regulations, safety, and electronic record keeping.

Students in the Digital Media pathway get a hands-on introduction to cutting-edge digital tools and communication techniques, including pre-production, production, and post-production phases of project development, visual aesthetics, industry equipment, photography, editing, and business management skills.

Over 50 classes are included in these pathways, from introductory-level instruction to hands-on application-level learning.

“The CTE purpose is to support and empower schools into developing quality pathways for students that lead to college and career readiness,” said Bailey Echer, CHS school counselor and CTE and IPS (Individual Plan of Study) coordinator. “I like it because it gives students a preview of their career - they can dip their toe in the water now in kind of a risk-free situation. They don't have a lot of money invested or haven't wasted time at a tech college or a four-year college before realizing that it's something they're not really interested in doing.”

Students have an opportunity to get their first exposure to CTE in eighth grade, and every student graduating from CHS must have at least one full credit of CTE.

Additionally, the Kansas Career and Technical Education Act allows Cloud County Community College to enroll high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in technical education programs and selected courses without charging tuition.

“A really big push in the last few years is industry-recognized certification,” Echer said. “The certificate is something that the student can obtain while still in high school that shows they are skilled in a certain area, and go out into the work force using that certificate.”

At CHS, certificates can be earned in Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA); Microsoft Office Suite, which entails learning the operating systems Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Briggs & Stratton small engine repair; OSHA-10, which deals with safety and health hazards common in the workforce; FirstAid, CPR, and Automated External Defibrillator (AED); Stop The Bleed, which trains people to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives; and Serve-Safe Food Handlers, for those looking to work in the restaurant and event management industry.

CHS also offers EMT and firefighter courses, based on student availability.

Blade staff writer Russell Gagnon sat in with several pathway classes at different levels of CTE training. He interviewed students, teachers, and employers, and in the coming weeks his series of stories will detail the CTE experience.

COMING FRIDAY: back to school in Business Finance.