CTE opportunities lead students to success
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month! CTE provides essential workforce preparation across industries from manufacturing, hospitality, and health science to government, the arts, agriculture, and much more.
Community and technical colleges and some four-year universities offer CTE classes, but K-12 schools also get students ready for high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. CTE focused high school students are highly prepared for their chosen post-secondary pathways; 96% of CTE students graduate high school, most of them enroll directly in college afterward with limited debt and have increased lifetime earnings. Because students with CTE training have sought-after knowledge and skills, 77% of employers from in-demand industries report hiring an employee because of their CTE experience. Students, businesses, and communities are benefiting from the real-world knowledge and experience taught through CTE programming.
Heart of America is invested in increasing students’ access to CTE resources from elementary to high school, and we do that by creating workshops that prioritize flexibility, functionality, and inspiration – all essential for STEM labs and CTE learning! When designing spaces with the goal of cultivating this type of educational experience, our team suggests selecting pieces that support individual and collaborative learning, such as mobile furniture. We also recommend including interactive technology to foster ideation and prototyping. These choices ensure that students can engage in the type of experiential learning and hands-on experiences that allow them to develop essential skills for the future. Our design team design spaces that are inclusive by paying special attention to graphics and artwork that amplify students’ identities, while also inspiring creativity and innovation. We all know a little encouragement can turn your day around!
In 2024, we completed two space transformations that utilized curricula from Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW’s mission is to create a transformative learning environment and empower students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in an evolving world through STEM & CTE Curriculum. We transformed classrooms at Monroe Elementary School in Santa Ana, California and, with the assistance of incredible partners at 3M, Central Senior High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, into cutting-edge learning spaces that are optimal for students acquiring CTE skills.
“3M is looking for the next generation of problem solvers,” said Michael Stroik, 3M VP of Public Affairs, 3Mgives. “Students with CTE training possess highly sought-after skills that will be vital to the future of 3M’s workforce. 3M is committed to supporting CTE programs and furthering the economic impact in our hometown communities.”
For our project with 3M at Central Senior High, we created a functional computer science education classroom while maintaining the school’s vision of a collaborative broadcast journalism classroom. We interviewed Brian, who teaches code to students at Central, and he pointed out that a career in computer science starts with opportunities to be curious and make mistakes — something his students will be able to access through the tools in their new classroom. At Monroe, we updated a STEAM room and library media center that now spark students’ curiosity and creativity from a young age, while providing the resources for them to explore and prepare for future careers. Both schools are now set up to successfully implement expanded CTE and STEM curriculums in their new spaces, thanks to PLTW’s assistance.
Heart of America takes pride in projects like these that promote student engagement in CTE learning and we can’t wait for more! That’s why we’re celebrating CTE month with an especially exciting announcement. Thanks to our incredible partners 3M and PLTW, in 2025 we will be expanding CTE in schools across Twin Cities and beyond.
Sources:
Association for Career and Technical Education