Today, students can get a head start on their future long before they graduate from high school. Through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs like those in Rockdale ISD, students begin developing valuable skills, earning certifi cations and even building college credit before starting college or signing up for job training courses.
The old “vocational” education of years ago has evolved today into a modern curriculum that provides students with technical knowledge and real-world skills they need for a current or an emerging profession. For example, if your son or daughter is interested in the medical field, they can follow the Health Science program of study and take classes like Medical Terminology and Principles of Health Science. When they complete the program, they can be tested and certified as a Nursing Assistant and go right to work in a clinic or head to college better prepared to become a nurse, a doctor, a pharmacist and more.
“The Health Science program is preparing me to be successful in the workplace,” says Makayla Mitchell, a senior at Rockdale High. “My classmates are trying to figure out what they want to do when they’re in college and I’ve already figured it out because of the classes I’ve taken here.”
February is CTE Month. Rockdale ISD celebrates the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments a dozen CTE programs of study: Applied Agriculture Engineering, Animal Science, Plant Science, Graphic Design and Multimedia Arts, Business Management, Nursing Science, Healthcare Therapeutic, Networking Systems, Welding, Advanced Manufacturing and Machinery Mechanics and Engineering.
For many, CTE may be the path they use to follow a dream. Ryan Luckey, a Rockdale High School senior, loves Agriculture Engineering and Design. He has taken advantage of two CTE programs at his school — the Graphic Design program of study to build and expand his graphic design skills and Applied Agriculture Engineering to apply those skills to a variety of wood and metal materials. He has created unique woodworking projects and exhibited these projects in local and state shows. Ryan can also become certified in Adobe, which can be helpful on college and scholarship applications.
“When I start my engineering degree at Texas A&M in the fall, I have already taken projects from ideas and drawings to the actual object,” Ryan says. “This may set me apart from other freshman just learning.”
What are your child’s academic strengths? What are they passionate about? Could they turn that passion into a career? There is no need to wait for that decision. A CTE program can give them a head start on their future.
Visit www.rockdaleisd. net to learn more about our programs of study (About Us>Programs>Career and Technical Education).
Please contact Britina Pesak, Director of CTE at bpesak@rockdaleisd.net or 512-430-6000, ext. 1021 if you would like to find out more about any of the CTE programs available at Rockdale ISD.
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