As part of February's national Career and Technical Education (CTE) month, Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 will offer six CTE events including five educator workshops. Events will be held throughout the month at ESC Region 12 at 2101 W. Loop 340 in Waco, Texas.
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers, sponsors CTE month each year.
Workshops will include sessions focused on CTE clusters, including agriculture, architecture, arts, audio visual and communication, business and information technology, and construction and manufacturing. College Board, a national organization focused on college preparedness, will also present a college and career readiness session to enable educators to better prepare their students for post-secondary education and careers.
"CTE month is a reminder to the community that we are teaching the millennial student," Chris Holecek, CTE education specialist at ESC Region 12, said. "One of our goals is to prepare students for a global and world economy."
CTE prepares students for a variety of fields including entrepreneurship, nursing, culinary arts, marketing and engineering. Many of these may require varying levels of education including high school diplomas, post-secondary certificates, or two- or four-year college degrees.
A.J. Moore students from the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism will have the opportunity to shadow Holecek as part of National Groundhog Job Shadow Day (NGJSD). Activities include helping with events and participating in a videoconference session about CTE updates with the Texas Education Agency. They will also have the opportunity to interview ESC Region 12 staff to learn about planning and procedures at the center.
"I am excited about the opportunity to host these high school students to begin CTE events for the month," Holecek said. "CTE teachers are preparing students for careers that are emerging and evolving to prepare them to be on the cutting edge."
The NGJSD campaign aims to provide students with hands-on learning experience to inspire career goals and provide a mentor with experience in their field of study. ACTE's campaign coincides with 2011 CTE month's theme of "CTE: Learning Today, Earning Tomorrow!"
For more information, contact Christine Holecek at 254.297.1284. To register for CTE events, visit www.esc12.net. For media inquiries, contact Jennifer Marshall-Higgins at 254.297.1198.
About Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
Founded in 1926, the Association for Career and Technical Education is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE is committed to enhancing the job performance and satisfaction of its members; to increasing public awareness and appreciation for career and technical programs; and to assuring growth in local, state and federal funding for these programs by communicating and working with legislators and government leaders. www.acteonline.org
About ESC Region 12
One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, the Education Service Center Region 12 (ESC Region 12) is dedicated to serving school districts, charter schools and area private/parochial schools in improving student performance. ESC Region 12 partners with school districts to deliver services and solutions to educators so they may help all children be successful. Based in Waco, with satellite offices in Corsicana, Hamilton, Nolanville, and Teague, the ESC Region 12's service area includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Mills, and Navarro counties.
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