In 2024, career and technical education  (CTE) is expanding as a tool for more students seeking a non-college alternative and for employers looking for talent. It’s a fundamental part of the K-12 experience and a viable career pathway for many students. CTE lets students understand the relevance of what they’re learning in school. It exposes them to career pathways they might not have known about otherwise. 

As a concept, many students and community members need help understanding the range of CTE – it is a flexible partnership between employers and schools. However, the link between learning and applying that knowledge to the workplace is at its core. 

In response to the need for more students to have the tools to progress in the increasingly complex work environment, Virginia is deploying 12 CTE High-Quality Work-Based Learning (HQWBL) programs. The results are that students apply their classroom learning that occurs in real-world work by discovering Career awareness, Career exploration, and Career preparation, as shown below:

CTE or vocational/professional training programs can be inserted into the earliest grades to start exciting the youngest students about how important reading, math, and science can be when applied to solving problems. Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears reports that Virginia has made substantial investments in expanding career and technical education programs. These programs are designed to equip students with the skills to enter high-need areas such as health care, manufacturing, and information technology.

The data is clear: Students in CTE programs are more engaged, graduate high school at higher rates, earn industry-recognized credentials and have family-sustaining careers. CTE learners are career–and college-ready citizens, including historically underserved learners. The graduation rate in Virginia (2021-22) for CTE students was 95.7%, which is much higher than the general population.

Learning That Works 

The New Horizons Regional Education Centers (NHREC) in Hampton Roads offers specialized programming to empowered individuals and a world-class workforce. NHREC is the largest of nine regional centers owned and operated by the six Peninsula School Divisions: Gloucester, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg/JCC, and York to provide educational services that are most efficient to implement through a regional partnership.

The NHREC Good Life Solution Program (GLS) is a collection of partnerships between their Career and Technical Education initiatives and local employers who pledge to recruit, hire, onboard, and retain their graduates right out of High School. [Photo below as shown on signing day.]

According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2022 study, 21% of 16–19-year-olds stay in a job for 1 year or more, while NHREC graduates of the Good Life Solution programs have an 86% retention rate.

Apprenticeships

To engage high school students in advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding careers. The Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Apprentice School is gearing up for its Youth Builders  Pre-Apprenticeship Program 2024-2025 cohort. The Apprentice School is a degree-granting and accredited institution with over 100 years of history with Newport News Shipbuilding. This enrichment opportunity allows high school pre-apprentices to participate in The Apprentice School’s World Class Shipbuilder Curriculum (WCSC) via virtual classes during a portion of the school day. 

Latitia McCane, director of education at Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School, said she has seen the power of apprenticeships. “It changed the trajectory of their entire family,” she said.  Families that have been trapped in low-paying jobs have found their futures in these programs.  From a business perspective, McCane noted more than 70% of the school’s graduates become leaders within the company and, often, within the community. 

Harry Moser, CEO and Founder of the Reshoring Initiative has led U.S. apprentices and shop owners on four tours to study the Swiss system and has been consistently impressed by the maturity, knowledge, technical skills, and multilingual capabilities of 16– to 20-year-old apprentices. Typically, senior company managers started their careers in the company apprentice program, much like Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School. 

Moving Forward

For the longest time, everyone has been told a 4-year college degree is the only way to succeed. In his new book, Terry Iverson challenges the assumption that sustainable careers may only be achieved through a college education. Iverson contends that careers in manufacturing offer stability, security, and prosperity for our nation. Inspiring Champions in Advanced Manufacturing provides parents and students with a roadmap for career success, self-fulfillment, and a zero-debt foundation for new-collar professions.

Traditional institutions are now prioritizing CTE work-based learning initiatives to ensure students get the most out of their educational investment. CTE programs are pivotal in helping close this skills gap, but that can only happen if lawmakers invest in CTE instruction. ACTE is calling for a $400 million increase in Perkins grants to address this funding deficit. 

We can expand on these investments by working with students, adult learners, and educators to provide more information on the need to engage in a work-based learning approach with employers, and provide examples of how these principles can be applied in many communities. According to the Georgetown Center on Education, some 30 million jobs in the United States that pay an average of $55,000 annually don’t require a bachelor’s degree. 

Skilled new-collar professionals are closing the skills gap by using their CTE education, work-based learning, and entrepreneurial talents to make their “American Dream” a reality in the communities they live in and serve.

Together WE Can Do It!

Prepared by:  Glenn Marshall, Newport News Shipbuilding (retired) career pathways volunteer (with feedback from a host of educators, citizens and businesses). Marshall is a member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), leads an initiative for an Educational Renaissance by graduating skilled career-ready citizens, and is a member of the national Reshoring Initiative. Contact Marshall at marsh8279@aol.com