Student interest in CTE courses drives expansion

Jill Schramm/MDN Jersy Burgess arranges a blanket over a mannequin during a certified nursing assistant class at Minot High School on September 26. CNA training is among the career and technical education programs offered through Minot Public Schools.

There is a lot of interest in career and technical education, but the challenge is bringing those opportunities to rural areas, said North Dakota CTE Director Wayde Sick, Bismarck.

About $120 million became available through federal COVID-19 funding and state funds to expand or build career and technology centers for 13 projects, including the high school programs in Minot, Sick said.

“With the additional dollars that we have received for additional career and technology centers across the state, I think one trend or opportunity that we have is providing broader opportunities to students regardless of where they live in the state of North Dakota. I think our students are very fortunate to have great career and technical education programs wherever they are. But what we want to try to accomplish is provide access to every program that is available to every student so that they can understand what the state has to offer in terms of career opportunities so that they can make an informed decision before leaving high school take over what to do. their career path might look like this,” he said.

There are a number of areas of the state that are doing a phenomenal job of offering a variety of opportunities, although more could be offered with careers in the energy sector, he said. The opportunity gaps are more geographic because of North Dakota’s rural nature, he said.

“A small school may not be able to scale a program because they simply don’t have enough students and can’t find the instructor,” he said. “If we can scale them through partnerships between multiple school districts, which is essentially what a CTE center does, then we can really start to provide many, very diverse opportunities.”

Part of the CTE grant program was the requirement for a postsecondary spouse, Sick said.

“What we’re seeing is that some of these CTE centers are inviting higher education to also provide some post-secondary education, or even some workforce training,” he said. An example is the Bakken Area Skills Center. Watford City does not have a post-secondary institution, but offers a post-secondary component to its programs through partnerships with community colleges, he said.

The goal is to do more of that and use CTE facilities to serve high school students and adults, he said.

“So instead of duplicating what might be available, can you collaborate and unite to make that happen? I think the funding is probably there. We have dollars that come from our agency to support career and technical education programs primarily at the high school level. But there is also a formula in our university system that reimburses or pays colleges for credits awarded. So I think the dollars are there. It’s just sitting in the room together and talking about the opportunities that a partnership can provide.” Sick said. “Those conversations are happening.”

Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor for student and academic affairs at the North Dakota University System, acknowledged the partnerships with local colleges and universities. Through simulation, some colleges and universities have also been able to offer CTE courses through a remote or virtual component, she added.

One of the biggest challenges is the start-up costs of a CTE program, Johnson said. Another challenge in offering high school CTE courses for college credit is maintaining the rigor of the college-level courses and demonstrating proficiency, she said.

Sick said enrollment in high school CTE courses is relatively high. About 75% to 79% of students in the past six years have enrolled in a CTE course.

“About 30% of our students take at least two subjects in the same track. And that is an area where I think we can definitely grow.” he said.

If a student takes at least two full courses in the same track, about 90% will pursue that field in the workforce or in higher education, he said.

Students see that short-term training has value and that there are opportunities to supplement that education further into the future if they choose, Sick said.

“We’re certainly seeing some great things, some innovations happening at our community colleges. And students see that, and they are definitely moving in that direction,” he said. “So it’s exciting. We are doing some really great things in North Dakota and I hope it continues.”