Closing the (skills) gap

Image
  • Career and Technology Education Director Jenny Arledge (left) and Mayor John Sellers display the CTE proclamation Sellers read to kick-off CTE month at Sulphur Springs High School. Staff photo by Tammy Vinson
    Career and Technology Education Director Jenny Arledge (left) and Mayor John Sellers display the CTE proclamation Sellers read to kick-off CTE month at Sulphur Springs High School. Staff photo by Tammy Vinson
Subhead

SSHS kicks off CTE Month

Body

Sulphur Springs Mayor John Sellers officially kicked off Career and Technical Education Month at SSHS Monday.

“This is an important month,” Sellers said. “It’s wonderful what the school does with these career programs.”

Sellers read from the proclamation, “CTE programs offer students the opportunity to gain academic, technical and employability skills necessary for true career readiness by providing students with career exploration opportunities earlier in their educational experience, which enables them to make informed and beneficial decisions about their academic coursework and pursue established programs of study and career pathways. Leaders from businesses and industries nationwide report increasing challenges to addressing the skills gap and connecting qualified professionals with available careers in critical and growing fields, including healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing and information technology.”

According to the SSISD website, the goals of the SSHS CTE programs are to:

• Continually develop and sustain industry and community partnerships to improve the quality of CTE programs,

• Increase the number of students earning industry-recognized certifications to increase their marketability in the workforce,

• Keep career pathways and endorsement standards relevant and reflective of current business and industry standards, and

• Increase connections between core academic courses and CTE courses through project-based learning experiences.

In the SSHS CTE program, students can:

• Explore careers in middle and high school to identify a career goal;

• Prepare a high school Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) to track their own goals and career objectives;

• Earn industry certifications within CTE programs;

• Earn tuition-free college credits, as well as high school credits required for graduation, through articulated courses; and

• Become leaders by participating in Career and Technical Student Organizations in competitions and community service projects.

Jenny Arledge, director of College & Career Readiness and CTE director at SSHS, encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunity to get involved in one of the variety of CTE programs offered on campus, as well as participate in various student organizations.

The Sulphur Springs News-Telegram will feature a series of articles throughout February highlighting some of the CTE programs.