Happy Career Technical Education Month!

By Andrea Townsend, Director of Career Technology & Special Education
Greenville City Schools

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!