Enrollment in CTE (career and technical education) courses is critical to a student's success, not just in high school but far beyond. CTE courses are the ones that prepare students for life in the "real world" beyond high school. Why are CTE classes so critical for a student's education?
They Keep Kids Engaged
Perhaps the most significant reason that CTE courses are so important for students is that they keep kids engaged in school. CTE classes allow students to begin exploring careers they might be interested in. For many students, their CTE courses are the only ones they look forward to when they come to school. For kids who aren't academically inclined, school can be a chore. Allowing them time to explore things they enjoy like construction technology or animal science, ensures that kids will keep coming to school...and graduate with valuable skills.
They Focus on Employability
CTE courses are tightly focused on preparing students for their chosen career paths. CTE classes focus on exposing students to careers and teaching them the foundational knowledge and skills they'll need for those careers. State standards in CTE courses also contain "employability skills" that students will have to utilize when they enter the workforce. Skills like resume writing and interviewing are taught explicitly in CTE classes; few (if any) academic core classes cover these essential competencies.
They Teach Soft Skills
CTE courses are where students really get to practice "soft skills" like critical thinking and collaboration. Employers are reporting more and more often that graduates are significantly lacking in these areas. Most CTE classes are heavily project based-students develop ideas, create timelines and execute them. These projects are most often done in groups where collaboration is an essential component. Nothing prepares students for the world of work like the opportunity to develop and complete a project from the idea stage to execution.
They Help Students Figure Out What They Want (or Don't Want) to Do
College is expensive...and changing majors mid-stream makes it even more costly. Many states now offer streams of courses that allow students to essentially have a "major" when they graduate from high school. This allows students the opportunity to examine, in depth, a career field and decide if that is a path they want to pursue. If they decide that's not a path worth continuing, they haven't wasted money on expensive college courses. Learning what they don't want to do is as important for students as learning what they do want to do.
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