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Gov. Beshear signs executive order to restructure Kentucky’s Career and Technical Education
Frankfort, KY - The move to fill an ever-growing need for a skilled workforce as well as reach college- and career-readiness goals set forth by state legislation got a huge boost recently as Governor Steve Beshear signed an executive order to restructure Kentucky’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) sector.
The on Aug. 28th signing took place at Locust Trace Agri-Science Farm in Fayette County before a crowd of business and education leaders, along with students representing every Career and Technical Student Organization across the state.
Under the directive, the Office of Career and Technical Education will be composed administratively of the Department of Workforce Investment’s KY Tech system along with the CTE component of the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) College and Career Readiness Branch.
The newly formed office will be located in KDE and is designed to create a unified, more relevant and efficient system to educate and prepare students for the world of work in a real-life setting, according to information from the Governor’s Office.
“It is our responsibility to prepare students for higher education as well as for the workplace,” said Beshear. “Today’s employers require a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and equipped to compete in the global marketplace. Our students need an education system that provides job-training and learning opportunities that will put them on a career pathway. Transforming and elevating CTE is essential to this process. We must create a career and technical education system that is a first choice, not a last chance.”
This realignment of CTE comes on the heels of a larger initiative to better prepare students for careers and college through heightened educational endeavors created by the Transforming Education in Kentucky (TEK) task force.
Those endeavors include such projects as the Kentucky Board of Education’s adoption of a college and career readiness measure that includes an academic component and a technical skill component; the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) offering dual credit opportunities so that high school students can earn college credit; and providing funds from the Carl D. Perkins CTE Basic Grant to encourage secondary and postsecondary institutions to develop innovative career pathways.
Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Joseph U. Meyer said career programs offer many opportunities for all students.
“CTE can make the direct connection for students between education and jobs,” said Meyer. “These programs offer learning opportunities that can inspire all students to explore careers and tackle more challenging courses.”
Studies show that graduation rates are higher among students who participate in CTE programs as opposed to those who do not. These high school graduates are then more likely to transition to postsecondary education or employment.
Seventy-five percent of Kentucky high school students, more than 150,000 pupils, were enrolled in career and technical education programs last year. Career and technical education – offering hands-on training in areas such as agriscience, machine tool technology, health sciences, electrical technology and business administration – is provided at 323 middle and high schools, area technology centers and career and technical centers across the state.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said bringing the systems together was an excellent move.
“Career and technical education directly connects learning and jobs for our students and provides them with engaging real-world opportunities so that they can transition to higher education or employment with ease,” he said. “This move is a key strategy in our efforts to ensure college and career readiness for all students.”
The executive order also establishes a CTE Advisory Committee that will provide guidance in the design and implementation of programs that give all students the best possible opportunity for career preparation in a unified system.
House Education Committee Chair Carl Rollins of Midway was also on hand for the event. He said by bringing together oversight of career and technical education at the state level “we will become much more effective in delivering the training our students need and our employers expect.”
With the student perspective, Collin Potter, who is enrolled in the Office Technology program at Montgomery County Area Technology, spoke on behalf of the state’s Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) and the CTE student population in general. He serves as the Future Business Leader of America’s Southern Region Vice President and Kentucky FBLA Vice President.
Potter said the decision to unite the two CTE agencies in Kentucky indicated the Governor’s confidence in the CTE community’s ability to prepare students for both college and a career.
“CTE programs offer students the opportunity to explore career options, learn technical processes, gain employability skills and network with potential employers,” he said. “In our CTE classrooms and labs, students learn to apply academic concepts.”
Potter was joined at the announcement by a host of state CTSO officers and the Locust Trace FFA officer team.