Technology Center gives students head start on college, careers
February is Career and Technical Education Month.
For those unfamiliar with the term, CTE focuses on college and career readiness through innovative work-based learning experiences, rigorous academic application, and dual credit opportunities (both high school and college credit, concurrently). It is not the old vocational model for the noncollege bound.
Consider the experiences of three former high school students from Glenbard North, Downers Grove South and Lyons Township high schools.
The Glenbard alum, while working full time as a registered nurse, recently completed her master's degree for nursing practitioner. She works for an area hospital where she was named the 2013 Nurse of the Year.
The Downers South alum, inspired by an internship during high school, worked his way through college as a pharmacy technician. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in public health, he is now a health and safety specialist for an Illinois county health department.
The Lyons Township graduate earned an EMT license at 18 and started working for a private ambulance company. He went on to obtain an associate degree in fire science, followed by paramedic school through the Loyola EMS System. He is now a full-time firefighter/paramedic for a Chicago suburb.
What do these students have in common? They were enrolled in CTE classes - Medical Terminology & Health Careers, Fire Science-EMT, and Culinary, Pastry Arts & Hospitality Management - offered as an elective by their respective high schools through Technology Center of DuPage in Addison.
Now in its 40th year, the center is the satellite CTE campus for 24 high schools, providing advanced electives for juniors and seniors. Operated by a joint agreement among 14 school districts in DuPage County and Lyons Township, the center is designed to prepare young people for both college and the career that follows. It is practical, it is engaging, and it works for all students.
While at the Technology Center of DuPage for two hours during the school day, students explore their field of interest, develop strong academic and workplace skills, take part in internships, and earn dual credit. Students also can prepare for state or national certification in areas such as certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, EPA certification through Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, and others.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects that among the job openings coming by 2018, 14 million will go to people with an associate degree or occupational certificate. Many of these will be in "middle-skill" occupations such as electrician, construction manager, dental hygienist, paralegal and police officer.
It may be surprising to learn that, in addition to the trades and service-oriented careers, CTE also encompasses engineering, health care, IT, logistics, robotics, manufacturing, agronomy and biomedicine. All of these have their educational roots in career and technical education, which has been employing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) before it became an acronym.
Through its innovative approach to learning and dual credit opportunities, career and technical education is helping our nation meet the very real and immediate challenges of student achievement, postsecondary success, and economic development. DuPage County can be proud that CTE has such a strong presence throughout its educational system.
• Jim Thorne is director of the DuPage Area Occupational Education System, the governing body for Technology Center of DuPage and other CTE delivery sites in the region. See tcdupage.org for participating member school districts and information about TCD's advanced CTE electives.