Adding Equity to Schools through Career and Technical Education

There are a variety of paths for students to traverse after high school. From college to jumping straight into a career, many students have different goals and needs for what they want to achieve with their future.

Career and technical education (CTE) courses are designed to help students master a specific skill set, such as culinary arts, coding or robotics, that prepares them for high-demand careers in advance. So if college isn’t their goal after they graduate from K-12 education, CTE courses can be a great option to help them transition into a career.

From middle school and up, these courses offer students the opportunity to experiment with different skill sets through hand-on learning. This is crucial because many of these careers require prior experience in the field before starting, according to Applied Education Systems. Because of this, these courses are a lot less theoretical and a lot more practical.

Unfortunately, it’s really difficult for some school districts to gain access to these courses. Some schools lack the funding to be able to afford them and others face difficulty hiring high-quality teachers to instruct them.

The principal of Kermit High School, Daniel Sharp, said it was very challenging to find a teacher to instruct their culinary arts class in Kermit, Texas. He said they didn’t want to drop the class because it was in high demand with their students, so they broadened their search.

Sharp found Proximity Learning, an online education company that provides certified teachers to teach classes at schools across the country through Zoom, a video conferencing platform. Since partnering, Sharp said the students have really enjoyed the class and have gotten a lot out of learning more unique and practical skills, like how to use a knife for different cooking techniques.

“The way things have gone so far with our culinary arts program, I’d rate it a 9 or a 10,” Sharp said. “It really exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t really sure, going into it, how it was going to work out. But, I’ve been really pleased with the Proximity program, the virtual learning and what the students are able to get out of it.”

With schools across the nation receiving stimulus relief funding, CTE courses are a great area to invest in to provide more equitable learning opportunities for their students.

To ensure that students have accessible options to learn what interests them, we offer a wide range of CTE courses. From culinary arts to entrepreneurship, we can help students take control of their future by learning the skills they need for a successful career.

Through career and technical education, districts can bring equity into their schools and catch students back up from a challenging school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With our help, schools can connect their students with the high-quality teachers and education they deserve.