Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Proclamations from Gov. Tony Evers and State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly declared February as Career and Technical Education Month in Wisconsin, and that was only the beginning. Special celebrations and additional CTSO week proclamations recognized SkillsUSA Week, FCCLA Week, FBLA Week, and FFA Week as members of several CTSOs prepared for competitions.
Dr. Underly stayed busy throughout the month, visiting six school districts across the state to see how staff and students are advancing career readiness through Academic and Career Planning and CTE programs.
Dr. Underly’s first visit was to Chippewa Falls High School, where students showed the aquaculture system and how it feeds plants in the greenhouse. Among the excellent CTE areas, Dr. Underly donned safety glasses and protective clothing to get a closer look at the welding area, and was interviewed in the media production area. She wrapped up her visit with a roundtable discussion with members of several CTSOs, who told her they gained confidence and friends, were able to apply what they were taught, initiated service projects, and learned how to handle work under pressure.
The following Monday at Underwood STEM Elementary in Wauwatosa, K5-5th grade students worked on hands-on, problem- and project-based challenges designed to build CTE skills, such as problem-solving, teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity.
Then it was on to Wauwatosa East High School, where an in-depth tour of the Fab Lab demonstrated how students receive hands-on training in each trade from professionals in their area. For more detail, read about the LAUNCH Program.
That afternoon, Dr. Underly traveled to Brookfield Central High School. The school’s Fab Lab was a hive of activity as students used 3D printers, sent files to wide format printers, assembled their school yearbook electronically, and worked on products using computer-controlled manufacturing components. Dr. Underly made a stop at Pilgrim Park Middle School to talk with students about how they’re choosing a career path using 6th grade “Wheel Courses” and Xello. Dr. Underly’s visit concluded by visiting the LAUNCH program, where she observed high school entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to “Shark Tank” classmates.
Mid-month, Dr. Underly traveled to the Luxemburg-Casco School District and, though the district is small and rural, their CTE program is ambitious and growing. L-C opened the first college-credit-bearing diesel mechanic program in Wisconsin. That, along with their auto mechanic program and manufacturing lab, were made possible through a supportive community and 685 business partners. Most impressive was the school’s creation of dedicated career coaches, who work with students specifically to help them identify career interests and place them in Youth Apprenticeships (YA). YA placements have increased 30 percent in one year and, as one student said, “I used to not like high school. Now I look forward to it every day.”
Dr. Underly’s trip to the Racine Unified School District gave her a firsthand look at the Academies of Racine model at Park and Case high schools. All students choose a career pathway in 9th grade. Pathway courses are offered in tandem with academic courses, and students have opportunities for dual credit, industry-recognized credentials, site visits, and work-based learning.
Dr. Underly wound up her CTE Month visits at Big Foot High School in Walworth. Here was a small, rural school that had an impressive agriscience program and a very active FFA chapter. Students in the Animal Science I class were fully engaged in data collection on semen motility, anatomy dissection, and digestive lab experiments. The takeaway during this visit was the influence teacher Lisa Konkel had on alumni who joined in the visit and shared where they are now and the impact her agriscience classes had on them.
CTE Month celebrates the hands-on, real-world skills that ignite passion in students that can last a lifetime. We salute the teachers who deliver the career and technical education that makes all the difference in the lives of Wisconsin students.
Subscriber submission: Wisconsin DPI Communications Specialist Carol Hutchison on the CTE team