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February is CTE Month!

January 30, 2012

Students and faculty at Plainview will join others across the nation during the month of February to celebrate national Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month^TM.  This year’s theme is CTE: Careers Through Education. CTE Month^TM provides CTE programs across the country an opportunity to demonstrate how CTE educates students to be college- and career- ready and prepares them for high-wage, high-demand career fields. Plainview stands out from other area schools in that it offers four areas of CTE plus technology courses. The four areas offered to students include Business Education-Mrs. Sterkel, Industrial Technology Education-Mr. Moeller, Agriculture Education-Mr. Kment, Family and Consumer Sciences-Mrs. Jacobsen, and additional teachers in Technology-Mrs. Klooz and Mrs. Schindler.

Plainview currently has two Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), FFA and FCCLA, which provide students an opportunity to gain personal, and leadership skills, making them more employable, preparing them to become productive citizens and assisting them in assuming positive roles in the home and community. 

Throughout the month of February, CTE students will create displays of career dress/uniform and will demonstrate the relationship between CTE and core academics.  Displays will include programs of study and courses offered at Plainview that prepare students to be college- and career-ready.  Additional activities will conducted through out the month as FCCLA Week and FFA Week fall during this time frame.

“The activities planned over the next month will illustrate the rigor and relevance CTE courses offer our students,” said Ronita Jacobsen, FCS Teacher/FCCLA Adviser. “By partnering with the business community, CTE programs are investing in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees as well as future leaders.”

CTE is a major part of the solution to myriad national economic and workforce problems, such as high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary vocational certificate. Recent research published by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that 4.7 million new workers will be needed by post-secondary certificates and credentials, such as those which can be obtained at Plainview High School, by 2018.  But we will fall short of meeting that demand. At a time when job opportunity is so critical, CTE programs in every community are ensuring students are adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.   

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. It provides advocacy, public awareness and access to information, professional development and tools that enable members to be successful and effective leaders. Founded in 1926, ACTE has more than 27,000 members including teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels.